A Second Chance
by Eeveetrainer
Summary: After years without contact, Ash regrets not going after Misty. Unknown events lead Ash back to Misty. Not wanting to talk about what happened to her and afraid of getting hurt again, Misty begins pushing everyone away. Will Misty be able to come to terms with the traumatic events she faced? Or will Ash never get a second chance to show Misty how much he cares about her?
1. Chapter 1: A Late Walk

Authors Note:

Just wanted to get some feedback for the first chapter of my very first story. I have other chapters written and will upload them too, I just want some feedback first.

So please! Read, enjoy, and review!

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Pokemon or any of its characters.

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Chapter 1: A Late Walk

It was cold and dark. He walked through the dimly lit streets of Southern Viridian City looking forward to finally laying in his own bed. He knew sleep would avoid him like it usually has the past few years.

It started to rain. The early spring weather was to be expected but he didn't prepare accordingly. The raven-haired man looked up at the sky and sighed angrily, picking up his speed. He was dressed in a black suit with a white undershirt, the bare minimum attire required to attend the event. The tie he wore was now untied and draping loosely around his collar.

"Just great," he whispered to himself wishing he had brought his trench coat with him. He could picture in his mind's eye exactly where it was; on the coat rack next to the front door. The companion that was perched on his shoulder could sense his master's bitter mood and tried to comfort him.

The fancy league dinners were always mandatory for the handsome Pokémon Master. He always hated going to those parties, but he was very happy when he found out that his loyal friend could accompany him.

He always dreamed of how happy he would be when he finally achieved his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. But now that he achieved that childhood dream, he still felt like there was something missing from his life, more like someone.

He often found himself thinking of the night they parted ways, and tonight was no exception. His mind drifted to those memories as he continued through the dreary streets. He couldn't believe it was almost 3 years since that night. He tried to push that haunting memory away but it always found its way back. She had always been with him throughout his journeys. Even when she wasn't there physically, he knew she was there for him. She was the reason he always stayed so determined during the 8 years it took him to become a Pokémon Master.

She was there for the most important battle of his life: The one that gave him the title "Pokémon Master". Defeating the Dragon Master meant he would go down in the books as the Kanto Champion and a Pokémon Master.

* * *

He remembered her racing up to him after the battle was over and crowds were cheering. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. His ears tuned out the roar of the stadium and the Indigo League Pokémon Song. His brain tuned out anything that didn't have to do with her. He couldn't remember anything else other than her warm embrace.

She wrapped her petite figure around his strong frame. Unlike when they were children, he was now taller than her and could rest his cheek on top of her head. He focused on her fiery locks as they embraced. He would never admit it but he loved that hair. He inhaled he scent, Chlorine. She always smelled like she had just gone for a swim. He loved how she never wore any of that fancy perfume. That fragrance was now associated with her and always made him feel at peace. Whenever he was near water he couldn't help but think about her.

They separated only far enough so that she could look up at him with those deep, cerulean eyes. They sparkled like diamonds. He felt like he could gaze into them forever. "I'm proud of you, Mr. Pokémon Master." She gave him a small wink that brought an even bigger smile to his face. He felt something strange growing inside his chest as they stood there.

He was only snapped out of this trance by the others that came to congratulate him. He reluctantly stepped out of their embrace and smiled at all his friends and family that also helped him to achieve his goal. Every close friend that he met over his journeys was there to support him. He gratefully accepted their praise with numerous hugs and handshakes.

He walked up to his mother and, despite her small figure, gave him an Ursering sized hug. She backed out of the embrace and clasped her hands over her heart. "Your father would have been so proud," she said as tears threatened to cascade down her face. She told him that she was throwing him a party that night to celebrate his accomplishment.

The party that night went by so quickly that he could barely recall much of what happened. All he could remember was that he desperately wanted to talk with her. He didn't know what about but he knew that he wanted to be near her again, to feel what he felt again. That hot-tempered, redhead was the only person who could make him feel that way but he could never figure out why.

As the clock started to approach midnight, most of the people that attended the party had gone with the exception of his closest friends. As he passed by the hall he could see his mother talking with his grey-haired mentor. As he passed by the kitchen he found the person he considered to be like an older brother. Right now that aspiring breeder was hopelessly hitting on an unlucky girl that still remained at the party. He chuckled at the sight of this. _Where was Crogunk when you needed him? _

Passing the dining room he finally caught a glimpse of her scarlet hair standing out on the porch. He snuck out the door so not to be noticed by the small amount of guests that still remained. His mother would chastise him for leaving a party that was thrown in his honor.

He looked at his best friend. _She really looks beautiful in the moonlight. Just like when we were on the road together._ He didn't want to disturb her. She looked so peaceful staring up at the stars. As he watched her a flood of memories came back to him of all the times they spent together over the last 8 years. He may have gained many friends over the years but she was his best. They formed a special bond that he knew in his heart could never be broken, a bond that could get even stronger one day. People thought he was too dense to ever realize such feelings but he was just too afraid to voice them in fear of ruining their relationship.

He slowly leaned up against the rail beside her. Noticing the familiar figure standing next to her she edged closer so that she could lean her head against his shoulder. _I love how strong and warm he feels. I could stay like this all night. _They stayed like that for quite some time just enjoying each other's company.

"These stars look beautiful tonight," she whispered happily.

"I used to come out here all the time when I was younger. When I wanted to be alone and think," He started to say, "They always helped me feel at peace".

She looked up at him with those azure eyes and he felt the rest of the world melt away. She started to speak but he was too focused on how beautiful she looked under the glow of the moon. Finally he broke out of the trance.

"Have you ever put any thought into what you are going to do now that your dream of becoming Pokémon Master has been fulfilled?" He actually hadn't put any thought into it.

He shrugged which only brought a snicker from the red-head. "What's so funny?"

She took her head off of his shoulder and shrugged herself. "Well you should start thinking. You haven't lived a day of your life not knowing what you wanted to achieve."

That part was true. Ever since he could remember he had the goal of becoming a Pokémon Master. Now that it was his reality, he needed a new plan.

"I guess that I'll just stay here for a while and relax. My Pokémon sure deserve it with how well they performed today." She laughed again.

"_Now_ what's so funny?" He said with a little bit of agitation. It had been a long day, and a long couple of months. He wasn't in the mood for thinking about the future. He just wanted to relax close to home and spend time with his friends, especially her.

"You should really put some more thought into the future," She pointed a finger at him and said so matter-of-factly.

"Why can't I just wing it for a little while? I'm beat from all the training lately and I really need a vacation." She shook her head and laughed again.

"Would you care to elaborate what you find so funny with relaxing?" The events of the day had left him exhausted and with very little patience. He pushed himself off the railing and faced her.

"I was laughing about when you said you would 'wing it'. Don't you remember how many times 'winging it' caused so many problems during our journeys together"?

"Like what?" He said with a more stern voice and crossed his arms.

She leaned off the railing and put her hands on her hips like she usually did when they were about to fight. "Well for one, you always got us lost because you would refuse to read a map and say I'll just 'wing it'. Or when you would go into a battle without thinking and solely hope on 'winging it'. You put the both of us, and plenty of other people, in tons of situations that needed a lot more than 'winging it'."

He was very tired and was not in the mood to put up with her belittling him again. He loomed over her. Standing at 6'2", he was now a good 5 inches taller than her. "Oh, yeah? Well I turned out pretty damn good for someone who just 'winged it' everywhere. I became a Pokémon Master. I even saved the world a couple of times." He said the last statement looking up and waving his hand in the air in a cocky manner. He glared back and her saying, "and if I put you in so many horrible situations then why did you always follow me around? "

She stood her ground and replied with the one thing that always ticked him off the most. Normally he would just let it go but tonight he didn't have an ounce of patience left in him. "Because you trashed my bike and the only way I could make sure you paid me back was if I reminded you every day. Arceus knows you would forget your head if it wasn't attached to your shoulders!" She screamed. She never told him the real reason that she stayed with him. At first she used that as an excuse but soon came to realized she had developed feelings for him, although she would never voice them. It had almost torn her heart in two when Nurse Joy fixed her bike and her sister made her go back to the gym.

"Well you got that damn bike back from Nurse Joy yet you still stuck around! How come?" His tone made her even angrier. Deep down she knew that she loved spending time with him and that he was her best friend but right now she was furious that he would even ask such a question.

"Maybe it's because I knew you needed someone to keep you in line!" she spat back at him.

"Well maybe I don't need someone like you anymore. I am capable of taking care of myself. If you think that I am the cause of all the trouble that happened to you on our journeys then maybe you shouldn't stay anymore. Maybe I don't want you around anymore." He regretted the words the second he said them. Her eyes transformed from furious to hurt. He could see the tears she tried desperately to hold back. Before he could apologize to her, she began to speak again.

"Well if you don't want me around anymore then I guess I will be going." A single tear slid down her face. "For good. Goodbye." She added in a whisper. The tears she had been trying to hold back flowed freely as she said the last word. She turned and ran out to her car. She was too far hurt to even consider facing him again. He was the first person she let inside after so many years and he hurt her, just like everyone else. She thought he didn't care if she stayed or if she left. She drove off and the last image he saw of her was the tears that he caused.

* * *

A crack of thunder broke him out of his thoughts. The rain had started coming down harder. The night had gone from bad to worse.

He should have gone after her and he regrets it every sleepless night he has. After years of thinking about this fight that ended their relationship, he now knows just how important she really was to him. Now there was an empty space in his life that only she would have been able to fill.

A feminine scream tore through the sound of pounding rain and thunder. He looked over at his furry, yellow friend and nodded as they raced off towards the sound. They rounded the corner and came to a stop.

The electric rodent that was on his shoulder jumped off so that he could lead the way with his amazing sense of smell. As Pikachu jolted forward, his master did as well. Years of training side by side helped him keep up with the speedy rodent easily. They both stopped in front of an alley. They could the see a dark figure lying in a puddle as they slowly approached.

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky and he caught a glimpse of the figure. They could tell that it was indeed a woman by the slight figure. She was wearing a ripped, blue sweatshirt with the hood up so they couldn't see her face.

They slowly approached and another bolt of electricity revealed that she was bleeding badly from many wounds and lying face down in a puddle. They could also see many bruises running up her legs all the way to her shorts. Some looked fresh, others looked old.

When he came up to her he bent down and was relieved when he found a pulse. He tried turning her over and as he did the hood fell slightly so that some hair peeked out from the hood. He gasped at the sight of it. It was a bright orange that the he had become so familiar with.

He reached up to pull the hood back fully. "No, it can't be…" The sky lit up once more and he jumped at the sight that lay before him.

"Pikachu, go get help!" He pulled her closer to him as he said the order. Recognizing who this figure was Pikachu nodded and raced off using his Agility to double his speed.

As he looked back at her, her eyes slowly opened. The sparkle was gone and it was replaced with hurt and pain. "….Ash?" she said but her voice was barely audible over the worsening storm.

He noticed there was a large gash near her temple. A small smile appeared on her lips but then she closed her eyes again and became limp in his arms.

He gently laid her head in his lap and quickly took off his jacket. Panicking, he tried his best to press the fabric up again the wounds that were bleeding the most. _She's loosing too much blood! I have to stop it somehow. _He began to tear the jacket into pieces, pressing and tying them against the bigger wounds, cursing himself for not being an Ambipom. _If I don't stop it then she is going to… No! I can't think like that! I won't let her leave me again!_ He pressed even harder.

"Please stay with me, Misty. Come back! Please come back! Please!" He begged over and over. Those words are the ones that he wished he said to her the last night he saw her instead of letting her go. He would not let her leave him this time without a fight.


	2. Chapter 2: Revelation

**Chapter 2: Revelation**

**Author's Note: Well here's chapter 2! I hope to be able to update these chapters biweekly. **

**If you hadn't figured it out from the last chapter... When things are _italicized_, they are either a dream or someones thoughts.**

**Thanks to those who reviewed my story and I look forward to reading more! Also a thanks to who Favorited/followed!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters. If I did, Misty would never have left the main story line. :P**

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_She was falling. She hit the ground hard and the water from a murky puddle stung the many cuts she obtained throughout the struggle. She thought that this is where she was going to die. Right now she would gladly have accepted it. Everything she loved in her life had been taken away from her. _

_She just about nearly gave up when something touched her wrist. That something turned out to be someone and then that someone pulled her hood back. The rain coming down stung her face. She heard him gasp and yell out something but her head hurt too much to make out what it was. She thought maybe she hit her head during the fall._

_She opened her eyes and the image was blurry from rainwater and the growing migraine. A yellow blur shot past her. She tried hard to focus her vision and she couldn't believe who was holding her. Ash. She looked into his reassuring, russet orbs and couldn't help but smile. Maybe not everything she loved had been taken away after all. He tightened his grip on her but she couldn't stay awake any longer. She slipped away into unconsciousness._

* * *

She woke up stiff. Misty had no idea how long she had been unconscious for or where she was. She thought about the dream she just had. It had felt so real to her. It wasn't the first time she had dreamt she was in trouble and her former best friend would come to save her, only this one ended differently. Ash remained with her instead of fading away while she still needed him.

She tried to open her eyes but quickly closed them again. The brightness of the room caused a sharp pain to shoot through the temporal section of her skull. As her pupils adjusted to the well-lit room she took in her surroundings.

She was in a hospital room. She was now wearing a blue patterned gown. It was the typical room with white walls and ceiling and a blue tiled floor. There was also an abnormally bright light shining over her. There was another bed sitting closer to the windows but it was vacant. A cool breeze filled the room.

Her entire body was stiff and in pain. Her head was throbbing. She used her left hand to feel that there was a bandage over her temple. She could feel that there was something constricting her left ankle. _Am I wearing a cast? I must have hurt my leg when I fell._

Images if the previous night filled her mind. The fight. The struggle. The thing she held dearest ripped away from her. She tried to run but they still found her. They wanted her gone. They had already taken away everything she held dear but that wasn't enough. They had their fun watching her in pain and now they wanted to finish the job. That was when she found herself at the top of a building. She thought that plummeting to her death would be better than letting the person she once trusted have his way. So she jumped.

Misty shook the haunting images out of her mind. It pained Misty to recall the events that led to her being in this bed. As she continued her observations she realized that her stomach felt a bit heavier than usual. She tilted her head down and realized there was a familiar yellow bundle of fur sleeping peacefully. _Pikachu? Wait, if Pikachu is here then that must mean…_

She turned her head to the right and the remaining memories of that tragic night flashed before her eyes. She fell from the top of a building. An awning broke her fall slightly, probably the reason she survived. She wished for death to finally take her. Someone had come to her rescue. She only regained enough consciousness to open her eyes to see her saviors face. She had looked into his familiar eyes. Those eyes that were once filled with happiness and joy, now reflected worry and urgency instead.

She had felt so safe feeling his arms around her again. His firm yet gentle embrace brought a sense of security to her. His face was the last thing she could remember seeing that night. She thought that image was just a part of her dream.

But it wasn't a dream and there he was. Ash had his head resting on the bed next to her. His raven tresses going in all different directions. She knew how impossible it was to tame his hair but it looked like he hadn't touched it in days.

She took in his face. She hadn't seen that face in almost 3 years, well in person that is. Being a Pokémon Master, he was always appearing in some magazine or newspaper. Throughout those years she found herself staring at those pictures when she saw them. At first they would make her smile, but then they would hurt her when she remembered he was no longer a part of her life. In fact, that was one of the reasons she was currently lying in a hospital bed.

Misty took a moment to focus on his snoozing face. She remembered he had a very handsome face. He had the most charming face she had ever see. She would just melt away whenever he looked at her with that tanned face and stare at her with his comforting, warm eyes. He always adorned a happy expression. He had a perfect jawline and the most unique markings just under his eyes.

Gazing upon his sleeping face she noticed how different he looked now. Ash still had the same face but there were troublesome details that couldn't go unnoticed. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. It wasn't like him to miss a shave, he hated the stubble. She also noticed the dark bags that had formed under his eyes. These looked like they were from more than just a couple sleepless nights. Instead of the usual content, peaceful look she remembered he wore in his sleep there was a frown.

She was going to lift her hand to push a strand of his dark locks out of his face but realized there was something on it. She looked over his head to realize Ash's hand was over her own. She removed her hand as softly as she could. _How long was I unconscious for? Has he been here the entire time I was unconscious? Why would he stay here?_

As the thoughts of what happened to them the last time they saw each other crept into her mind she couldn't help but feel a little resentment for him. She was angry but she was also very hurt. He said he didn't want her in his life anymore. That he didn't need her. She was heartbroken. She fell for him and he hurt her more than any physical pain she had endured in her life. She wasn't going to let him do that to her again.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the creature stirring on her stomach. He lifted his head and let out a soft "Chaaa" yawn. He looked up toward her head and upon realizing she was awake, his ears perked up. He left out an excited "Pikachupi!"

She looked down at the little mouse she had loved so much and gave him a weak smile. Pikachu quickly went to her face to lick her cheek to show her how happy he was that she was okay.

Pikachu slowly backed away and jumped off her chest to stand next to his master's head. Pikachu tried to gently wake him but it was no luck. Giving up on the gentle approach he sent a small shock of electricity through the man's body.

The Pokémon Master jumped yelping in pain. He glared down at Pikachu and harshly said "What the heck was that for?!"

Pikachu glared back up at his trainer, saying something in his own language, and then pointed at Misty.

Ash looked up at Misty and his face fell from anger and to a soft smile. Ash took a moment to take in Misty's presence. Her hair was held messily in a ponytail and she looked a bit pale. She had very fair skin and she had her lean arms crossed securely across her chest. Her petite frame looked so small in that big hospital bed. Even though Misty didn't look very well, Ash was just happy that she was safe and awake.

He brought his attention to her face. She had such a pretty face. Ash always believed that, unlike her sisters, Misty's face was naturally beautiful. She had the cutest little nose that he remembered would crinkle when she laughed. She had such fine looking lips that were now drawn into a frown. Ash much preferred them when they were fashioning a smile.

He looked up at her usually big bright eyes. Their eyes locked. They were so different now. They were dull and it looked like the life had been drained from them. His smile faded and she broke the connection turning away from him.

"Misty," He paused, "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worri-"He was cut off by her mumbling something. "What?" He asked in a soft voice.

She turned back to him and said "Go away." Misty's eyes were now glossy and Ash could see just how hard she was trying to hold back her tears.

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke. He knew she was still going to be upset with him but he was determined to show her how he felt. He needed her in his life again.

"I'm not leaving you, Misty." He declared in a comforting, yet stern, tone.

"Why would you want to stay? You said you didn't need me in your life anymore." She shot up quickly out of fighters reflex but as pain shot through her midsection she cringed. He went to her side and laid his hand over her shoulder but she was quick to swat it away.

She lay back down and whispered, "You hurt me enough last time." A single tear escaped her eye and Ash was quick to wipe it away. She moved her head away from his touch and continued, "You said you don't need me in your life and I don't need you in mine."

He looked down at her. Misty's shoulders were shaking like she was about to cry. She was in so much pain and worst of all, he caused part of it. He needed to make this better. He wanted to make her feel better. His heart was breaking more and more with every passing second. He said the only thing he believed could have the slightest chance on remedying the situation. The truth.

"I was wrong." He looked down at the floor and his hair fell in front of his eyes. She turned and could only stare at him, mouth agape. She had not expected him to say those words. She especially didn't expect what she heard next. He sat back down in the chair next to her bed, leaned over and put his hands next to her.

"I was wrong. I do need you in my life. In fact, you were the most important thing in my life. Ever since you left there has been a part of me missing. A part of me left when you did. That empty feeling I had only you can fill." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I missed you more than I've missed any of my other friends. You mean more to me than anyone could. You were my best friend and I would do anything to get that back. Please don't go Misty. I know you must hate me now. I'm going to make it up to you Misty. I was wrong and I know that I hurt you but I promise that I'm never going to hurt you like that again. I'm going to make it up to you somehow. Just…. Please don't leave me again." His voice was shaking by the end of his speech. His hands were now balled into fists so tight his knuckles were turning white and his finger nails purple. When he finally looked back up to her, their eyes locked and tears slid down both of their cheeks simultaneously.

Misty closed her eyes and a laid her head back against the pillow with a weakened sigh. _Does he really mean that? _

Thinking that his heartfelt words failed him he was about get up when he felt her place her hand over his. Ash looked up at her with shock written all over his face. Her head was still down and her eyes were still closed. But this time something was different. It was barely noticeable but he saw it. She had a small smile on her face. it was just the slightest curl of the lips but he saw it. He softened his grip which then allowed her access to lace her fingers through his. Another tear slid down his face but this time it was accompanied by a smile.

Ash knew that she hadn't forgiven him yet. That was going to take time to heal. But he was just happy to realize, with that tiny gesture, that Misty didn't hate him.

* * *

**Well would you look at that? Misty doesn't hate Ash after all. But he isn't out of the woods yet! Things are never that easy when it come to Ash and Misty. He has a lot of work cut out for him in order to gain Misty's trust.**

**Well there you go! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! Always looking forward to reviews so please don't be shy!**


	3. Chapter 3: Place for a Third

Authors Note:

Well here is chapter 3! And a day early! YAY!

I won't be able to upload tomorrow(stupid school and work) so I decided to make it a day early instead of making you all wait an extra day.

Thanks for the reviews, follows, and/or favorites! I love seeing and reading them!

I hope you enjoy reading as much as i enjoyed writing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters.

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Chapter 3: Place for a Third

It had been a few hours since Misty had woken up and the only time she saw Ash leave her side was when he went to call his mom to tell her Misty was okay. Ash had told Misty that his mother wanted to be the first to know when she woke up.

It made Misty happy knowing that Delia Ketchem was so worried about her well-being. Misty always thought of her as a surrogate mother and was sure Delia thought of her like a daughter.

Delia arrived at Viridian City General Hospital shortly after Ash had called her. She also arrived with a surprise visitor; a certain spiky-haired breeder that always felt like a brother to her. They both proceeded to give her gentle but strong embraces. Brock seemed just as worried about her condition as Ash and his mother did. It made Misty feel warm inside to be surrounded by people who actually cared about her well-being again. It had been so long since she felt that kind of love.

Doctors and nurses came and went to keep a record of how she was recovering. They told her she received a nasty blow to the temple and been asleep for 3 days. They were very worried that she wouldn't wake up. _Well now I know why it looked like Ash hadn't partaken in any source of personal hygiene in a while. He must have been here the whole time…_

The doctors also informed her that she injured her left leg and would be required to wear a cast for 3-5 weeks. She groaned at the thought of bed rest for that long, she hated being so restricted not to mention the "no water rule". The other cuts and bruises would heal perfectly on their own, although there were gashes on her upper left thigh and stomach that required stitches and would probably scare. _Great just another reminded of these past 3 years I've had…_

As the doctors ceased their rounds the group sat in silence. Brock's curiosity got the best of him and he needed to know what happened. Leaning forward so that his forearms were resting on the top if his thighs, Brock tried bringing up the topic in the gentlest way possible. "Misty, I think I speak for everyone in this room when I say we are thrilled that you are going to be okay. But I think there is another topic on our minds as well. What happened to you, Misty?" Everyone in the room was shocked by the bluntness of his question. Misty's expression darkened as she looked away.

Ash spoke next. He hadn't left Misty's side since he brought her there. He was so worried about her because of the way she acted while she was asleep. He wanted to know what happened to her just as much as Brock. "It must have been rough. It looked like you kept having nightmares. You would start whimpering and struggling when you were asleep." He looked at her with a pair of worry stricken eyes.

Misty was thankful that she was looking away as a hint of red started to form from the thought of Ash comforting her in her sleep from her nightmares. The blush faded and was replaced with a frown when she realized she still needed to answer them. Misty drew in a deep breath as she prepared to speak. "I fell from the top of a building. I was being chased and jumped to get away from them." Misty crossed her arms over her chest. She knew this answer wouldn't suffice for the breeder and Master but she didn't really want to go into any detail about the situation.

Ash could feel his angry raising him his as he listened to Misty explain what happened accompanied by the distraught state she was in. She looked so broken and he couldn't stand seeing her that way.

"Who did this to you Misty? I swear to Arceus I will hunt them down and make them pay for whatever they did." Ash stood up but kept his head down. His fists clenched at his sides. His temper was quickly rising. Sensing his trainers anger, Pikachu began to admit small sparks of electricity from his cheeks. The rage was growing even more as he pictured Misty trying to run. She must have been terrified. _They better hope I never find them. I will kill that bastard if he ever comes near Misty again._

Brock went to the young master's side and rested his hand on Ash's shoulder unoccupied by Pikachu. "Calm down Ash. I want to see them get what they deserve just as much as you but right now we need to stay calm. There is no use getting so worked up about it right now." Letting out an irritated sigh, he sat back down, never taking his gaze off the tiled floor. _I mean it._

"What happened, Misty? We never knew you were in so much trouble," Brock put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with comforting eyes. "We were so worried about you. After you stopped all contact with all of us we had no idea what happened to you. It was like you fell off the face of the Earth." Brock looked over at Ash whose gaze was still down. Brock knew what happened that night between the two younger trainers. Brock told Ash to go after her and apologize, but Ash truly believed Misty hated him and couldn't bear to hear her say it to his face. _He must be blaming himself for this, poor guy. _Brock thought to himself.

Misty followed Brocks gaze and looked over toward Ash now realizing his head down. _I hope he isn't blaming himself for this. He looked like he was going to kill someone before. Maybe he has changed._ Misty emotions were welling up inside her chest. _But I still don't want to take the chance of getting hurt again. _

Ash felt terrible. He wouldn't allow himself to look up. He was ashamed. He knew this was his fault one way or another and couldn't bear to look at her.

Misty looked down again, "I really don't want to talk about what happened. I don't think I'm ready to go through all of that again." She glanced up at every one and even Ash was looking at her, concern evident in their eyes. She looked away saying, "I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to talk about it." She paused. "It would just hurt too much..." She let her voice trail off as her shoulders began to tremble.

She felt another hand on her shoulder and thought it was Brock trying to comfort her again. When she turned to look back at her pseudo brother she was shocked to see it wasn't him. Instead of his gentle hand she found the strong, reassuring grip of Ash.

Ash had gotten up from him seat and was now leaning over her bed. He looked into Misty's glossy eyes and realized she was trying hard to hold back more tears.

"We just want to help you, but if you don't want to talk about it right now then we won't make you. We would never want you to be put through so much pain again." His words were the kindest words she had heard all day, or the past 3 years. A single tear escaped her eye and Ash used his other hand to quickly wipe the tear away. "Please don't cry, Mist. I hate seeing you cry." Ash couldn't stand to see Misty like this. She was usually so strong and put together. Seeing her in a hospital bed in such a delicate state broke his heart.

Misty couldn't help but smile as she looked toward the foot of her bed. Feeling his touch and hearing him use that nickname warmed her up inside. Even Pikachu looked worried about her.

"Ash is right dear. If you don't want to tell us, we won't pursue it anymore. We respect your feelings." It was the first time Delia had spoken in a while, but the older women spoke those words with such a motherly tone that Misty's smile became even wider.

Looking over at the brown-haired woman she said "Thank you. That really means a lot."

"It's no problem. We all care about you Misty. We hate seeing you in so much pain." Remembering just how bad of a state Misty was in Delia realized something. "Who is going to take care of you while you are healing?"

"That's right. I tried calling your sisters a couple years back but they said they had no idea where you were." Brock remembered that conversation well and that it contained more than just that. They had a few choice words to call Misty, none of which were flattering for the beautiful women. He decided not to inquire about their hostility so not to upset Misty again in her fragile state.

Misty cringed at the mention of her sisters. They weren't exactly on great terms right now. "Actually," Misty paused not wanted to tell them she had nowhere to go but realized it was inevitable. "I don't have a place to stay. Let's just say I can't go back to the gym." Misty looked away as she said this hoping that no one would ask her about why she couldn't go back to a place she loved.

They sat in silence, no one knowing how to respond with the new information they received. Delia finally broke the silence. "You can stay at our house dear." She put a hand on her sons shoulder and looked at Misty.

Misty looked back at the three visitors and was a little surprised at the offer even though she should have known better. "Oh, no, Mrs. Ketchem. I couldn't impose on you like that." She put her hands in front of her trying to refuse the offer but Delia would have none of that.

"Please call me Delia." Delia hated it when Ash's friends called her Mrs. Ketchem. It made her feel old. "Nonsense, we have a guest room that you can stay in and we would be more than happy to take care of you. I think it would make all of us feel better to keep a close eye on you while you are recovering."

Misty took in the facial expressions of the three sitting in front of her. She took special notice to Ash's. His eyes said everything for him. They looked like they were begging her to say yes. They showed guilt and worry. They said _please stay with us. We care about you and want to help you feel better. Don't leave us again._

That look is all she needed to nod her head. "Okay. I'll stay with you in Pallet Town. I've missed it there." She said so with a sincere smile. It seemed to be contagious as everyone's smiles broadened.

"Then it's settled. When you are ready to be discharged, Ash and I will take you home with us. Now I have to go check on the restaurant." She gave Misty another hug before leaving and Misty gladly excepted.

"I better get going too. I have to help Forrest with some stuff at the gym before it gets too late." Brock said also taking Misty in his arms.

"Thanks so much for coming to visit me. It really means a lot."

"It was no problem dear. We did it because we care about you. Now get some rest. I'll be back later with a nice home cooked meal for you and Ash." And with that Delia and Brock left the room.

Misty turned to Ash about to say something but she was cut off. "Mom's right. You need your rest if you're going to recover properly."

Misty knew that Ash was right. Misty noticed Ash get up from his seat and looked up at him with a sad expression. He paused seeing a strange look in her eyes and realized just what it was. "Don't worry. I'll be right here when you wake up. I'm not going to leave you." Ash walked over toward Misty and took the seat closest to her.

Misty didn't know why but she always felt safer when Ash was near her. _I just feel so much safer when he is around. _She knew that she should still be upset with him but right now she just wanted to feel safe.

She gave him a smile and nod. As he looked into her eyes he thought just for a second that maybe he saw some light come back into those cerulean eyes. He didn't have long to see for sure because she laid her head down and closed her eyes and was out like a light.

He could feel a warm sensation in his chest as he stared at her peaceful, sleeping face. It had been so long since he felt that. Sure he always felt different when Misty was near him, but this sensation was stronger. _Right now I need to put my feelings aside and make sure Misty gets through this. I don't want to risk hurting her again. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did._

For the first time in days he actually saw that she was relaxed in her sleep. He leaned closer to her and moved a piece of her fiery locks from in front of her face to behind her ear. He placed his face near that ear and whispered "Sweet dreams."

As he pulled his head back he saw that she now had a sweet smile on her face. He sat back down in his chair and repeated, "Sweet dreams Mist. You deserve 'em."

* * *

Poor Misty and all her conflicted feelings :(

She just doesn't want to get hurt again and Ash doesn't want to hurt her either!

The Misty Mystery just keeps getting better! But will Ash ever be able to get it out of her? You'll just have to wait and see!

Keep reading and reviewing and I will see you all in two weeks!


	4. Chapter 4: A Time to Talk

**Author's Note:**

**Next chapter up and on time! 4th time in a row! WHOOP! **

**Well I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**But don't forget! After you read, REVIEW! The reviews I get mean a lot to me! And ya know... I wouldn't mind if you favorited/followed either, hehe... ;P**

**I want to thank all of those who continue to support this story and those of you who have newly discovered it!**

**And I am also always open to suggestions... You if you have an idea, don't be afraid to share!**

**Now stop reading my boring rant and get reading the good stuff!**

**Disclaimer: Still no Pokemon for Eeveetrainer... *cries in corner***

* * *

Chapter 4: A Time to Talk

Misty just stared out the window looking at the passing trees. She remained mostly silent during the trip and used the time to go over the events of the past few days. Her emotions were going in too many different directions and she felt like she would break at any moment. She thought she would never see Ash again but now he was back. Misty wanted more than anything to be close to Ash again, but now that the chance had presented itself, she felt very hesitant letting him near her again.

Ash insisted he stay at the hospital to make sure Misty was okay. After Misty had calmed down she felt like she needed some time alone. She told Ash she'd be okay for two days until she was released but he was much too stubborn for that. He ended up sleeping in the empty bed in Misty's room. Misty felt warmed that he wanted to be there for her, but at the same time she wanted to push him away. Right now Misty wasn't sure if she wanted him back in her life.

Misty was still hurt from what Ash had said to her. _**"I don't want you around anymore."**_ There was a stinging sensation throughout her body when she first heard those words. It gripped her heart and spread through her veins like poison. Every artery and vein ached. It spread to her head and she felt like she would faint. It reached into the pit of her stomach and the wind had been blown right out of her. It reached her knees and she felt them almost buckle beneath her.

Those words kept finding their way into her mind. That same feeling of total suffering came back whenever she thought of them. It killed Misty whenever she thought about it. She tried moving on but that only caused her more pain.

A "Welcome to Pallet Town" sign caught her attention, "Shades of Your Journey Await." _Maybe this is a new journey for me. Maybe I can finally be happy here._ Misty shook her head slightly at the idea and decided to put her feelings aside for the time being and focus on recovering. She couldn't do much of anything in her current state and needed someone to take care of her, even if it was Ash.

The car ride to Pallet Town from the far side of Viridian City took about thirty minutes. Misty knew from experience the Ketchem residence was eight minutes away from the welcome sign.

"It's been a long time since you've been here dear, but I'll assure you not much has changed." Delia spoke with a warm smile. This was the first thing that had been said since nearly the beginning of the trip and it startled the other passengers. Realizing what Delia had said, Misty nodded and returned the smile.

The older woman always spoke fondly of how Pallet town remained small and homey. Misty had to admit she loved it that way too. Sure she loved it when she lived in Cerulean City, but she treasured how quiet and peaceful Pallet Town was.

As they neared the street Misty had become so familiar with a wave of nostalgia filled her heart. They turned the corner and she knew the destination lay 4 houses down. She didn't pay any attention to the other houses but instead kept her eyes locked on her temporary place of residence.

It was just how she remembered it. It had pale blue siding and a red roof. She loved the white picket fence that lined the yard. Misty even loved the bright orange mail box that sat in front of the road. The garden looked like it was just beginning to flourish. Delia always loved to keep her garden in the best condition. She noticed that another car was parked in front of the house and concluded that it must have been Ash's. She noticed that Delia's trusty Mr. Mime was watering the plants nearest to the road. As the car started to pull in front of the house, the pantomime Pokémon began to wave and cheered its name.

"Hi Mimey we're back!" Delia stepped out of the driver's seat and went to greet her Pokémon and they walked into the house. This left just Ash and Misty outside.

Misty opened the door to the front passenger's side of the car and waited for Ash to give her the crutches she received from the hospital. Misty would need them if she had any hope of moving around on her own for the next few weeks, but she still wasn't happy about it.

She was a little clumsy with them but managed to make it out to the car from her hospital room. When she made it to the car Delia insisted that Misty take the front passengers seat to allow her leg more room. This left Ash to squeeze his rather long legs into the back of the sedan.

Right now Misty was observing just how much of a problem the Pokémon Master was having. He couldn't maneuver his feet out of the car first so he decided to take a different approach. He decided to back out of the car and swing his legs under him just at the last second. Unfortunately, the door wouldn't stay in place and he ended up falling right on his back with his legs resting on the seat he previously occupied.

Misty couldn't help chuckling at this. As Ash got up and dusted himself off, he glanced over at the redhead laughing at him. He was happy to see that she still felt pleasure from his pain and decided to go along with it. Ash walked over to her and crossed his arms displaying a childish pout.

"Guess your wish to be taller isn't as glamorous as you thought, huh?" Misty mocked, and then tilted her head up towards Ash's face. She snickered again seeing the expression on his face.

"Hey that hurt!" He cried out and added a foot stomp for more dramatic humor.

"Oh stop your whining and get my crutches." She held out a finger towards the trunk and snapped her head in the opposite direction with her nose in the air. She stopped laughing at him but there was still a smile on her face.

"Well looks like you're already back to bossing me around," Ash said so is a sarcastic manner. As he said this he walked away but could hear her trying to come up with a comeback. He handed her the crutches and the both of them made their way into the house.

The inside of the house was the same too. She did notice some new pictures but other than that it was still the "home, sweet home" she remembered.

"You remember where the guest room is right dear?" Delia was busy putting some things together in the kitchen, but then again she always seemed to be doing that.

"Yeah I remember." Misty began to make her way over to the stairs and Pikachu raced up the steps. _Probably time for his afternoon nap. _She remembered that Pikachu loved getting a nap in the middle of the day. _Like trainer like Pokémon I guess._ Misty stopped right in front of the first step and paused.

"Something wrong?" Misty turned her head to see that Ash was right behind her. She turned her head away and looked at the floor.

"I don't know how I'm going to actually get up the stairs…" Misty said is a quiet tone trying as hard as possible to not be embarrassed. She turned around and sat on the second step up and sitting the crutches on the ground in front of her. She put her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.

"Oh." Ash said softly as he began to rub the back of his head. Suddenly an idea popped into his mind but he wasn't sure how Misty would react to it. He looked down at her with a slight pout across her lips. _Well it looks like this is going to be the only way, but I hope she doesn't beat me for it later._ He cringed a little at the thought of her wailing on him again, just like old times.

Misty was still trying to figure out a way for her to get up and down the stairs but her thoughts were getting her nowhere. All of a sudden a pair of strong arms lifted her up bridal style. She was startled by this but when she realized that Ash was effortlessly carrying her up the stairs, she could only look down with a slight blush across her face.

"What are you doing?" Misty couldn't look at Ash for fear her would notice the red tint on her cheeks. She could fell the toned muscles of his chest through his shirt.

"I'm carrying you up the stairs. There is no point in letting you just sit there." Ash was glad Misty wasn't looking at him because his face was heating up similar to her own. Ash had decided to put his own feelings for Misty to the side and just focus on helping her recover, but those feelings would always remain.

The duo made their way down the familiar looking hallway. Misty caught a glimpse a new picture hanging on the wall. This one was taken right after Ash had gained his Champion status. He was on the field and all of his friends and family were there. It wasn't a posed photo so it caught the real excitement on everyone faces. She didn't have very much time to examine the photo before they entered Misty's new room.

Ash sat Misty down on the bed and she looked around the room. It was just as she remembered. The floral comforter, the desk that sat across from the bed and even the pictures stayed the same. Misty loved how familiar this room felt. It was so comforting to her.

"Mom said she put some clothes and stuff in the closet and drawers that you can borrow until she has the chance to go out shopping for you." Ash explained as he opened the closet and pointed at the dresser. Delia had to bring Misty a set of new clothes when she was getting discharged because the outfit she arrived in was no longer usable.

"I'll have to remember to thank her later. She's been so kind to me throughout this." Misty put her head down in shame. Misty never liked being so helpless; she had always prided herself on being independent and strong. Right now she just felt so weak and broken. Ash could sense how Misty was feeling and sat down on the bed next to her.

"She does it because she cares about you Misty. We all do. We want to make you feel better and help you through whatever it is that you are dealing with." Ash spoke in a very comforting manner that made Misty feel a little better and she nodded.

Realizing there wasn't much more he could do, Ash stood up and made his way to the door. "You should get some more rest. I'll wake you up when dinner's ready." Ash left and shut the door behind him. This left Misty alone again. She stopped herself from doing any self-evaluation and decided that Ash was right. She sat back and put her head on the pillow. Misty was still exhausted from all of the recent events and was asleep before she knew it.

* * *

_The sunset seemed like it was on fire. The warm colors seemed to meld into one and set the sky ablaze._

_Misty sat on a patch of soft grass near the top of a mountain. She gazed at the setting star in wonder. The brilliant reds, yellows and oranges never quiet stayed the same as the sun continued to retreat from the sky. _

"_I just love watching the sunset from up high. It really lets you see all the colors." A familiar voice came from behind her but she didn't need to turn around to know who it was._

_Ash came and sat down next to Misty and they continued to watch the sun go down. They felt at total peace. The remainder of the sky was clear and there was a slight breeze. This moment was absolutely perfect. _

"_You know why I love the sunset Mist?" Ash broke the calm silence but never broke his line of sight with the picture in the sky._

"_How come?" Misty had turned her head toward him. He looked so happy and calm. His warm brown eyes were shining in the suns beams._

"_Because of the color," Ash twisted his head and their eyes locked. He stared into her azure eyes and fell into their trance. "The color reminds me of you. Whenever I see the sunset it reminds me of your hair." Ash moved a stand of hair out from in front of her face and back behind her ear._

_Misty blushed slightly as the tips of his fingers brushed her face and a warm smile appeared on her lips. Ash move a little closer to her but their stare never broke. He loved how her hair shined in the fading light of the sun. _

_Unconsciously their heads started moving closer and closer. The sun was just about to go down fully and their faces were only inches apart. Misty began to close her eyes and tilt her head slightly to the right._

_Their lips were just centimeters away and they could feel each other's breath. The last of the suns beams disappeared behind the distant hills just as they were about to kiss, but their lips never met._

_The ground beneath Misty began to crumble. She didn't even have a second to react as she began to fall. She tried to reach out to something but caught nothing. _

_Suddenly Misty felt a grip around her wrist. She held her breath as she looked down and saw nothing but black in the night. When she realized she was no longer falling she looked up to see Ash holding onto her arm for dear life. _

"_Ash…. Please don't let go!" Misty yelled up to him with terror in her eyes._

"_I would never let go of you Misty. You mean too much to me to leave like this." Ash's eyes reflected the same amount of terror. "Misty you have to do something"_

"_You really expect me to do something for you while I'm dangling from a cliff about to plunge to my death!?" Misty's shouted at him. _

"_You have to wake up Misty." Ash kept his gaze on her._

"_What the hell are you talking about? I am awake!" Misty was confused and angry at what he was saying._

"_Wake up Misty. Please wake up." A tear slid down Ash's face on onto hers. This caused tears to well in Misty's eyes. "Please… Wake up Misty."_

* * *

Misty shot straight up. Her heart was racing and she was sweating lightly. She nearly knocked the tray  
Ash was holding right out of his hands. She raised a hand to her chest and was relieved it was only a dream. She tried to calm herself and looked up at the raven-haired man standing next her.

"Are you okay Misty?" Ash's brow was folded in worry and his eyes were filled with concern.

Misty turned away and muttered, "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Ash raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"I just had a bad dream. I'll be fine." Misty didn't want to tell Ash about her dream. One reason was because she didn't want him to worry and the other was because she was unsure of how she felt about it.

"If you're sure." Ash didn't believe her but he didn't want to press the subject any further. He had decided that Misty would confide in him when she was ready. He didn't want to push her, but he wasn't sure how patient he could be. He wanted to know what happened to her soon so he could help her recover quicker.

"I am." Misty said so in a sure voice. Noticing the tray in Ash's hand again she picked her head up to get a better look. "What do you have there?"

Forgetting that he even still had the tray in his hand looked down and lowered it toward Misty. "I thought you might be hungry so I brought you some dinner." Ash sat the tray down on Misty's lap.

"Oh you didn't have to, I could have come down. But thanks." Misty looked down at the meal in front of her and the smell met her nose. It smelt absolutely delicious. It was a large bowl of delicious looking stew. Sitting next to the bowl on a separate plate looked like some freshly baked biscuits. It was a simple meal but it could easily be one of the best if prepared right and this one was perfect.

"If you'd like I could eat up here with you too. Mom went back to the restaurant a little while ago so I'd be eating alone too." Ash nervously scratched the back of his head as he looked up at the ceiling waiting for a response.

Misty was a little touched that Ash had brought her dinner in bed so she decided not to turn down his offer. "Sure that sounds nice."

"Great!" Ash jumped up a little bit and a big smile appeared on his face. "I'll be right back." He left the room but returned soon with another tray for himself in one hand and a fold up table in the other. He unfolded the table with precision and sat his tray down. His tray had almost twice as much of food then hers. He walked over to the desk and dragged over the rolling chair and sat down next to her.

Misty watched this and realized he must have been planning this. "You sure got that set up quickly. Almost like you had that planned this." Misty narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Well I-I… I just thought we could catch up a little bit. We haven't seen each other in a long time." Ash tried to think of an excuse quickly which turned out to be closer to the truth. Ash did want to catch up with Misty.

"Uh huh." Misty took a bite of the stew and was amazed at how much more delectable it was then she thought. "Wow! This is great! Your mom really out did herself this time," Misty exclaimed taking an even bigger bite along with some biscuit.

"Actually I made it." Ash said casually and he began to eat.

Misty nearly choked on the food in her mouth and began to cough violently. Ash stood up quickly and began to pat Misty's back with one hand and hand her the glass of water from her tray with the other. As she began to catch her breath and Ash realized she was okay he asked what happened.

"Sorry I was just a little surprised that you actually made this. I didn't know you could cook, let alone cook well." Her surprise showed on her face.

"Well I guess I picked up a couple of things traveling with Brock and Cilan for so many years." Ash rubbed the back of his head humbly.

"Well I'm sure grateful for it right now," Misty exclaimed and they both began to devour the food again.

Misty began to think about the dream she just had and tried to figure out what it meant. It wasn't the first time she had dreamt about her and Ash enjoying each other's company but this one ended differently. She often found herself falling away at the end but this time he reached out to save her. He even shed a tear for her. She tried to decide if this new dream meant something and someone was trying to tell her something.

She decided not to think about it anymore and looked over at Ash eating like he hasn't seen food in days. _Well I guess some things really never change._

"So how's life as a Champion like?" Misty was always curious as to how Ash actually enjoyed his new title but never really got a chance to ask.

"It's okay I guess. The paparazzi don't follow me around as much anymore, which I am extremely happy about. I thought the attention would be nice but it got annoying really fast," Ash rolled his eyes with annoyance but continued. "The title pays really well too and living here I have been able to save up my money for when I decide to get my own place. Four days a week I have to go to Indigo Plateau to train and battle which I absolutely love! They have really nice equipment there and my Pokémon have gotten a lot stronger because of it. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of all the paperwork. I never knew being the Master would require me to do so much paper work… But I do get to help the G-men on some of their missions!" Ash really loved being the Master and being able to assist the G-men.

Misty could see the happiness in his eyes as he explained his job and had to smile back at him. "So I guess you'll be spending some extra time there soon since you've been home so much the past few days."

"Actually I had some vacation time saved up so I decide to take a month and a half off. It's pretty slow up there this time of year since the league just ended and I thought you'd like some company since mom would probably be at the Pallet House most of the time." Ash explained his reason a little nervously.

Misty felt a warm sensation grow inside her chest hearing that Ash gave up Pokémon for over a month just to keep her company. Misty couldn't remember Ash giving up Pokémon for anything. She smiled at him and said, "Thanks. That means a lot."

Ash returned a larger smile knowing she was happy with his gesture and the duo began to eat again.

Misty kept her smile as she began to think of all the nice things Ash had done for her in just a short week. _He really is trying to make this up to me. Maybe I should give him another chance. He was my best friend after all. But what if I get hurt again? I don't know if I could handle that…. _Misty smiled a little at the thought of finally being able to spend more time with this sweet and kind Ash, but frowned when she still felt something holding her back.

"Hey Misty is it okay if I ask you a question?" She was torn from her thoughts and looked over at Ash.

"Umm, sure. Ask away." Misty was a little nervous as to what Ash was going to ask her but tried not to show it as she continued to work on her food.

"What happened to all of your Pokémon? I mean I've never seen you without them and I know how much you love your Pokémon. Did Team Rocket steal them and you got hurt trying to get them back?" Ash knew that this was risky but he needed to know if this was true. He would personally go after the scum that did this to Misty and every second counted if he wanted to get her Pokémon back to her safely.

Unprepared for what he just asked, she paused with her spoon midway to her mouth and her jaw open. She closed it after a second and clenched it. Misty stared intently down biting her bottom lip and Ash could see clearly that he upset her.

"I'm sorry Misty. I didn't mean to upset you," Ash placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "But if they did please tell me so I can get them back for you."

She shook her head quickly and leaned her back against the head board breaking Ash's contact with her.

"No. That's not what happened." She paused as she took a deep breath and began to speak again. "When I went back to the gym I had to register all of my Pokémon there so I would be able to use them in official gym battles. When I left my sisters wouldn't let me bring them with me since they were technically gym property now." Misty loved all of her Pokémon and was heartbroken when she was forced to leave them behind.

"Oh. I'm really sorry Mist. I know how much you cared about them." Ash didn't know what else he could say. He could only imagine how much Misty would be hurting considering he loved all of his Pokémon too. "At least they have nice big pools to swim around in and plenty of friends to play with. I'm sure your sisters are taking good care of them."

"Yeah you're right." Misty just kept looking down not even phased by Ash's reassuring words.

An idea to get Misty's mind off her Pokémon and cheer her up popped into Ash's head. He jumped out of his seat and ran across the room to his desk and started rummaging through its drawers.

Misty looked up at him curiously, unsure of what he was doing. The thoughts of her Pokémon slipped out of her mind and she focused on what this unpredictable man was doing. "What are you looking for," She asked from across the room but he continued to ignore her.

"Where is it? It has to be in one of these drawers," Ash mumbled to himself. Finally he found what he was looking for and ran back over to Misty. He held it in front of her face like it was a prize.

"What's so special about a marker?" She tilted her head, still curious as to what the Pokémon Master was up to.

"I want to be the first one to sign your cast!" He exclaimed with such a childish enthusiasm that Misty just had to smile at. His big brown eyes were shining with enthusiasm. "Come on! I've always wanted to be the first to sign someone's cast!"

Misty smiled even more and gestured toward her cast. "Have a blast."

Ash knelt down next to her bed and tapped the marker against his chin as he began to ponder what to write. He finally figured it out and began to carefully write.

When he was finished he stood back up and watched her read his handy work.

"_**I hope you feel better soon Mist. You're going to need this leg to chase me around just like old times. :P 3 Ash"**_

Misty couldn't help but laugh at this as old times of chasing Ash around popped in her head. Whether they were serious or playful she smiled brighter at each moment. What Misty loved the most about this little note was how he signed it.

Ash watched Misty's face as she read his note and couldn't help but feel that warm sensation fill his chest again. Seeing Misty with a smile made Ash so happy.

Ash loved to see Misty this happy. And he had the perfect idea of how to make her even happier.

* * *

**AWWWWW! Isn't Ash just the cutest!**

**But what does Ash have up his sleeve this time around? I guess you'll just have to stay tuned in order to find out!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to all the reviews I'll be reading! ;)**

**And don't forget that I'm always open to ideas! And if I dont use them for this story they might work perfectly in the future stories I'm planning!**


	5. Chapter 5: Reluctance

**Authors Note:**

**Well here is chapter 5 guys! I hope you all enjoy!**

**You get this chapter early today because I have work tonight! And I got a chance to work on it a lot today since my chemistry class was canceled! WOOO!**

**Another thanks to the reviews I've been getting and I can't wait to read more!**

**I love hearing the feedback and suggestions! **

**I think you are really going to enjoy this chapter so I'm just going to stop talking and let you guys get to it already!**

**Disclaimer: I do not take any credit Pokémon. **

* * *

Chapter 5: Reluctance

A few days went by since Misty had begun her stay at the Ketchum residence. Even though Misty seemed to be opening up slightly at the first dinner she and Ash shared in her room, she seemed to be spending a lot of time alone now.

Misty had developed a system to getting up and down the stairs independently. She could get up and down by hopping up the steps on her good leg. Having such strong legs from all of her aquatic activities certainly helped.

Since Misty could now maneuver her way through the house on her own she began to depend less and less on Ash. He would try to help her but she would refuse. She was even starting to refuse his company.

"Are you sure you don't want to come watch some TV down stairs? I know your favorite show is coming on." Ash watched Misty standing in her doorway, her head tilted down. He could see that her cheeks were wet and red. _She must have been crying again. _ Ash bit his bottom lip, hoping that Misty would finally come with him.

"No, it's okay. I just want to be alone right now." Misty looked away and closed the door.

Ash just stood there and let out a deep sigh. He wanted so badly to be there for his once best friend, but she wouldn't budge.

Ash was really starting to get worried about the redhead. She was pulling away from him again. He finally thought that he had broken through to her but by the looks of things, they weren't getting any better.

The Master turned and headed down the hall and down the steps with determination. Ash knew he had to do something fast if he had any hope on helping Misty recover. He decided to call the one person he always turned to for help.

Ash sat down at the video phone and dialed a number he knew like the back of his hand. On the other end of the line a spikey-haired breeder got up from his desk and walked over the screen to accept the call.

"Hey, Brocko. How's it going?" Ash looked through the screen at the older man. If anyone was going to help him get through to Misty, it was going to be him. Brock knew Misty almost as well as Ash.

"Just finishing up some paperwork. I've been doing some more research on the breeding of Pokémon depending on the habitat they are in verses the one they are accustomed to," Brock said plainly but upon realizing the concerned and distant expression in Ash's eyes he started to worry if something bad had happened. "What's wrong? You look a little anxious." Normally Ash would have been interested in the new information his friend discovered, but Brock noticed his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"It's Misty. She's fine and everything, it's just… well, she seems to be pushing herself away from everyone. Even mom can't get her to spend time outside her room. The first night we had dinner together and things really started to be going back to normal but now…" Ash trailed off, biting his bottom lip again. He was so worried that Misty wasn't going to give him a second chance.

Observing the expression on the young master's face, Brock couldn't help but share the same concern. "Misty is just going through some things, Ash. She's gonna open up but you just need to give her time. She is the strongest person we've met. She wouldn't let anything break her. We don't know what exactly she went through but she will get through it."

"That's exactly it Brock. We don't even know what happened to her! How are we supposed to help her if she won't even talk to us? Every time I try to see if she'll talk to me she just shuts me out even more." Ash dropped his head in a defeated manner. He was trying so hard to help, but he felt so powerless.

"Just let her come to you. If she doesn't want to talk about it she will just push you away. She's still hurting and that is going to take some time to heal." Brock realized that he needed to make sure that Ash wouldn't bother her about her past. He was worried Ash would push too hard and Misty would go MIA again.

"Part of the reason she is going through this is because of what I did," Ash put his index finger on his chest in an accusing manner. "I just want to help her…" He put his head down, this time in shame.

"First of all Ash, it wasn't your fault. You have to stop blaming yourself." Ash looked up, ready to speak, but Brock cut him off. "And secondly, you will Ash. Just don't push her. Tell her that you're there for her if she needs someone and if she doesn't want to talk about what happened, don't make her. Just be there for her, Ash. All you have to do is show her that you care and she will believe you."

"Okay, I'll try. Thanks for the talk Brock. But it's getting late. I think I'm going to hit the hay now." Ash felt very tired after worrying about Misty all day and he just wanted to go to bed and clear his head.

"Alright. Tell Misty and your mom I said hi. Goodnight." And with that the screen faded to black and Ash got up from his seat.

Ash mindlessly walked up the stairs and into his room. He changed into his pajamas that consisted of a pair of blue, striped boxers and an old, black t-shirt. Sitting down on the edge of his bed he cupped his face in his hands and let out a frustrated moan.

Pikachu looked up at his trainer and gave him a concerned look. "Pika pi Pikapi?" Pikachu spoke in his own language but after years of traveling together Ash could understand him pretty well.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just so worried about her." Ash let out another sigh.

Walking over to Ash, Pikachu sat down next to him. "*Pika. Pi chu Pikachupi pichu. Pikachupi pik pikachu pi."

"Yeah that's what Brock said. She is a pretty stubborn person." Ash took his face out of his hands and looked down at his longtime companion. "But this is my fault. She's hurting because I wasn't there to protect her. I don't know what I'm going to do if she doesn't give me a second chance." Ash hung his head in shame again, tugging at the roots of his thick raven hair. "I really screwed up this time."

Pikachu jumped into Ash's lap and looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Pika pi chu Pikapi. Pipippika! Chu pika chu. Pikachupi pik kachu. Pika chu pichu pika pipi." Pikachu was trying to convince Ash that it wasn't his fault. What happened was because bad humans hurt her. Not Ash. And that he should make sure Misty knows that he isn't going to let them hurt her again.

"Like hell I'd let them. I swear if I ever find out who they are…" Ash let his sentence trail off. He had anger written all over his face and his fists were clenched.

"Pikachu pi pik pikachu pika." Pikachu reassured with small sparks coming from his cheeks to show that he was just as irate as Ash was. Pikachu loved Misty and would do anything to protect her.

Ash smiled at the reference to old enemies and laughed, referring to "blasting them off again". "Thanks Pikachu. Just promise you'll use an extra powerful electro ball."

"Pika ka pichu." Pikachu looked up at his master and gave him a wink. "Pik pi chu Pikachu chu."

Ash nodded and turned off the light. He and Pikachu crawled into bed. Ash let his mind go over the new advice he had received. _Just let her come to you Ash. I'm going to have to show her that I'm there for her somehow. I just have no idea how_. Ash tried to think of any way to show Misty that he was there for her until he couldn't stay awake any longer.

* * *

Ash woke up later that night. He glanced at the bright red lights of the digital clock on his nightstand to see that it was just past three o'clock. Glancing to his side, he saw that Pikachu was still sleeping soundly on the bed nearest the wall.

An unusual sound caught Ash's attention. He tried to listen closer but still couldn't make out what it was. Ash slid out of bed gently, as not to wake the little mouse, and silently exited his room.

When he was finally in the hallway, Ash listened for the sound once again. It was dark in the hall, but Ash knew this house perfectly. He crept down the hall toward the sound and finally found the source.

Ash stopped right outside of Misty's bedroom door. The sounds were no doubt coming from her room and he could hear them distinctly now. She sounded like she was in a struggle, moaning and whining.

Ash opened the door and crept inside Misty's room. He shut the door behind him; he didn't want to wake anyone else. The moon outside the window on the opposite side of the room cast a glow over the bed and its occupant.

Ash rushed over to the bed and saw that Misty was having a terrible nightmare. Her legs and arms were jerking and she was moaning various phrases: "Go away", "Stop", "Someone please help me". Ash could see Misty's face was very distraught. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her brow was furrowed.

Ash couldn't watch her go through this any longer. He sat down on the bed next to Misty and grabbed her by the shoulders trying to halt her flailing arms from hitting him.

"Misty wake up," Ash pleaded over and over while simultaneously avoiding her attacks. Ash looked like he was on the verge of a break down himself, watching Misty go through such a traumatic nightmare was heartbreaking to him.

Finally, Ash succeeded in waking Misty and she shot straight up. She was panting heavily and beads of sweat were running down her forehead and neck. Her hair, in a messy pony tail, clung to the back of her neck.

Ash reached over to Misty and put his hand on her shoulder but this only startled her more and she jerked away from his touch. When Misty realized that it was just Ash she dove at his chest. She clung to his shirt and sobbed. The soft material quickly became soaked with her tears.

Ash was a bit thrown by this but he wrapped his arms around Misty. He laid one hand on her back and put the other on the back of her head in a secure manner.

"It's okay Misty. It was just a dream," Ash cooed softly in her ear but this only seemed to upset her more. Ash realized that even though what Misty had just experienced was a dream, it must have been a reenactment of the trauma she had been put through. Ash tightened his grip on her and continued to whisper comforting phrases in her ear.

After about twenty-five minutes, Misty's sobs began to slow and she could finally speak. "I-I'm so s-scared Ash…." Misty let out another sob.

Ash was so concerned about Misty. He had rarely ever seen Misty shed a tear and seeing her bawl her eyes out was killing him. He gave Misty a comforting squeeze and reassuringly whispered, "You don't have to be Mist. I'm here now."

Misty looked up at Ash. Her hair was up but her bangs fell just in front of her eyes. In the faint glow he could see that her eyes were reddening from the intense crying. Instead of their usual bright cerulean, Misty's eyes resembled more of a dark, sadder navy. Her cheeks were red and he could see just how hurt she was. She was beginning shake. "I mean it Misty. I'm not going anywhere."

Misty stared into Ash's face. He looked so worried about her. She felt safer than ever before wrapped up in Ash's strong, comforting arms. As he spoke those words Misty felt even safer. She continued to stare into his warm, russet orbs and ceased her tears. She turned her face away from his. Even though she felt safe, there was still something holding her back. "I just don't want to get hurt anymore." Misty's voice was barely audible but Ash still heard the words.

It felt like a million beedrill stung Ash in the chest when he heard her whisper those words. Misty wasn't just hurting from the mysterious events she went through, she was still hurting from what Ash had said to her.

Ash knew that he had hurt Misty in that past and she was still feeling that. That's why she was so hesitant on letting him back in. Misty was pushing Ash away because she was afraid that Ash would hurt her again. This wasn't just Misty being hurt by someone she barely knew. This was getting hurt by Ash, her best friend. No. By the looks of it, he concluded that it was much deeper than that. He couldn't help but pull Misty back into another hug.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you Misty. But I promise that I won't hurt you again. And I won't let anyone else hurt you either. I'm going to keep you safe." Ash felt tears threatening his eyes now. "And I'm sorry for trying to push that information out of you. I was wrong to do that. If you never want to tell me then don't. I just want you to be happy again." A single tear escaped his eye and slid down his cheek and landed on Misty's.

Misty felt the tear and soaked in the words Ash had just said. Ash was saying that he wasn't going to hurt her again. He was promising to keep her safe. Misty always felt safest with Ash around but right now she felt like nothing would ever be able to touch her.

They stayed like this for a very long time before Misty pulled back slightly to look at Ash face again. Misty could see his eyes were red now and could see how distraught he was. _I need to give him a second chance. I owe it to the both of us._

Ash looked down at Misty. She looked like she was thinking hard about what he just told her. The longer their stare held, the more Ash was beginning to worry that Misty would still push him away.

After what seemed like a century, Ash was shocked about what appeared on Misty's face. A small smile formed and it spread all the way to Ash's lips. The difference between this smile and the others Misty had given him over the past few days was that this one was sincere. It actually looked happy.

"I'm sorry I've been pushing you away. I was just so unsure of what to do. But I promise I won't do that anymore. I want to be happy again and I want my best friend back." Misty spoke with an honest tone and if her face wasn't already enflamed, she would be blushing. Misty decided that she wanted her best friend back, but she wasn't sure if she was ready or wanted to pursue anything more than that.

The smile on Ash's face grew ten-fold and he brought Misty back in for another embrace. "And I want mine back too." They shared this hold for a few minutes before Ash pulled away again. "You should get some sleep now though. We can talk more in the morning." Ash gave Misty one more squeeze and let her go completely. He got up from the bed and was about to walk to the door when something caught his wrist. He looked back to see that Misty had her hand wrapped tightly around his wrist. He looked into her eyes and could see she didn't want him to go.

"Please don't go, Ash. I'm still a little scared from that dream…" Misty looked away embarrassed. "Could you maybe stay, just for tonight?" Misty felt very vulnerable when Ash released his arms from around her. She knew it was just because of the dream she just had, but right now she just wanted to feel safe.

Ash looked into her pleading eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He replied with a smile. Ash sat back down on the bed with his back against the head board. He took Misty in his arms again, both hands around her back, and she put her head on his strong chest.

She felt the vulnerability melt away with his presence and relaxed her muscles. Her eyes felt very heavy from all the crying and she couldn't keep them open. She listened to Ash's heartbeat and it all felt so calming. Misty drifted off into a sound sleep.

Ash looked down at the redhead in his arms. He couldn't help but smile. He had his best friend back and she was going to get through this, he had no doubt in his mind now. He felt her muscles relax and her breathing slow. Ash knew that Misty was now sleeping. He maneuvered his head to see her face and she looked so peaceful. He knew that she wouldn't have any nightmares tonight and she would finally get a goodnight sleep.

Ash kissed the top of Misty forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams". He rested his head on top of hers and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Ash was the first to wake up the next morning. He was awakened by the sun rays shining in through the window. He glanced down at the petite figure in his arms and couldn't help but smile. Misty had a tranquil look while she slumbered.

He took this moment to take in her new tranquil features. She looked like she was in a peaceful sleep.

Not wanted to wake her from her much needed rest, Ash slipped carefully out from under her and laid her head gently on the pillow. She began to stir but quickly settled back down.

Ash exited the room and began to make his way down the hall. Once he came to steps, he slid down them without a sound. He had a lot of practice doing this when he was younger and knew just where to step on each stair that would not make a squeak.

Ash peered into the kitchen to notice his mother was busy making breakfast. _Damn. I was hoping to get up before her. She isn't going to be happy about this… _

Delia usually woke her son up to help with breakfast. She knew that if she didn't wake Ash up in the morning, he would happily stay in bed until noon every day.

"I know you're standing there Ashton." Delia spoke in a mother-knows-all-and-you're-in-trouble tone.

Ash stiffened and wondered if he should make a run for it. He decided against it because he knew that his mother would just send Mr. Mime to use his Barrier attack and lock Ash up in an invisible box.

"Morning Mom! Mmmmm! Breakfast sure smells yummy!" Ash walked nervously into the room with an embellished grin on his face, praying his mother wouldn't be too mad.

Delia turned around from her spot at the stove. She crossed her arms angrily over her robbed torso and if looks could kill, Ash would have been dead ten times over. "So I went to wake my son up for breakfast this morning but he wasn't in his room. Little did I know that he was spending the night in Misty's room, wrapped up in each other's arms no less! I thought I taught you better than that Ashton! But then you go and take advantage of a hurting girl!" Delia's voice began to rise as she stepped closer and closer to Ash with every word and Ash shrunk under his mother's intimidating glare.

"Mom it's not what it looks like!" Ash spoke timidly, cutting Delia off from her rant.

"Well then Ash; please do share what exactly happened last night." Delia spoke in a cold tone still glaring at her son with her hands on her hips.

Ash gulped nervously before he began to speak. His mother may have been sweet 99% of the time, but she sure was scary the other 1 %.

"I woke up in the middle of the night and I heard these weird noises. I went to find out what they were and they were coming from Misty's room. When I went inside I found out that she was having a really bad nightmare!" Ash was examining his mother's facial expressions carefully as he spoke. When he saw that her face was going from anger to concern, he decided it was safe to continue. "I woke her up but she was really upset. She asked if I could stay with her and I just couldn't say no to her. She looked terrified."

Delia uncrossed her arms and placed both of her hands over her heart. Concern was written all over her face. "Oh, poor dear. Maybe I should go up and check on her."

As Delia was about to turn to head up stairs Ash stopped her and said, "It's okay mom. We talked about it and I think she is going to be just fine". Ash looked down at his mother with a very confident smile.

"And nothing else happened?" Delia looked up at her son with a suspicious eye.

"I promise nothing happened. I would never take advantage of someone like that, especially Misty. Like you said, you raised me better than that mom." Ash softened his expression.

"I'm sorry I jumped at you like that. I have to realize that someday you are going to grow up whether I want you to or not. But no matter how old you get you are always going to be my little boy." Delia's eyes were becoming glossy with her explanation. She knew that Ash was becoming a man and he had to make his own decisions in life. He wasn't an innocent boy anymore and she had to step back and let him grow up.

Ash took his mother in his arms for a heartfelt embrace and she generously returned the gesture. "I wouldn't have it any other way mom," Ash whispered in her ear before letting her go.

Delia turned to go back to the stove and hummed, "And I guess I need to let you grow up if I ever hope to get a grandchild out of you."

Ash could only shake his head at his mother's comment as he sat down at the video phone. He had an important phone call to make.

* * *

The slumbering redhead woke up and stretched her arms across the bed, unconsciously looking for the other occupant she fell asleep next to. When she didn't come in contact with anything she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She felt more rested then she had in ages.

Misty glanced around the room and realized that she was completely alone. She frowned and began to recall what happened last night. She smiled when she remembered how Ash came to her aid once again. She felt like a huge load had been lifted from her shoulders.

Misty twisted her body around and swung her legs over the edge of the bed and tried to fix her disheveled locks. She grabbed her crutches and stood. Not bothering to change out of her pajama shorts and t-shirt she made her way to the door. She decided that Ash and his mother must be in the kitchen so she began to make her way there.

Clumsily, the redhead made her way down the stairs and stood at the entrance of the kitchen. She observed the occupants before she entered. Ash was now seated at the head of the table with his back to the door with Pikachu perched on his shoulder. Delia was just putting the finishing touches on the food she was preparing.

Delia turned around and noticed Misty standing in the doorway. "Oh! Good morning, Misty! I'm so glad you're awake! I thought that you were going to miss breakfast."

Ash tilted his head back and looked at Misty upside-down. He gave her his signature toothy grin and said "Morning sleepyhead."

Misty let out a small giggle at Ash's childish gesture and made her was over to the table and sat down adjacent to Ash. She looked over at the older woman and said, "I would never miss one of your delicious meals Mrs. Ketchum!" She ended her sentence with a genuine smile.

Delia was thrilled that her son was right about the young girl. She did seem to be looking a lot better. She made her way over to the table with two plates and sat them down in front of Ash and Misty. Looking over at Misty she said, "I'm so glad to see that you are looking better dear".

Misty smiled up at the motherly figure and said, "Me too". Misty looked over at Ash and gave him a smile as well.

Turning into the direction of her son, Delia asked, "Honey would you mind helping me run some errands later? I have some heavy soil to pick up and I need some help, along with a few other things."

Ash looked up at his mother and could only nod since his mouth was currently being stuffed with food.

"Thanks so much. Well I'm going to get ready for the day." Delia exited the room and left Ash and Misty alone.

They sat in silence as they started eating and Misty was the first to speak. "Thank you, Ash."

Ash looked up from his plate and swallowed the food that was in his mouth to reply. "It's no problem Mist. You were really upset last night and I just wanted to help."

"No I mean for everything. For being so kind to me this past week. For not leaving my side for anything." Misty looked down and whispered, "And for saving my life."

Ash looked over at his best friend and felt a warm sensation enter his chest again. He reached over and placed his hand over Misty's and replied, "Anything for you Mist. I'm just glad you gave our friendship another chance."

Misty looked up and locked her eyes with the russet ones gazing at her. She finally broke the contact and rolled her eyes saying, "Just don't blow it Ash Ketchum," in a playful tone.

Ash withdrew his hand and crossed his arms in a childish manner. With a playful pout on his face he turned his head away and replied, "I don't always blow everything you know."

While Ash had his head turned Misty saw it as the perfect opportunity to snatch the last piece of bacon off his plate. She quickly snatched it but Ash saw her hand out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey don't steal my bacon! That was my last piece!" Ash raised his hands in an annoyed manner.

Misty took a satisfying bite out of it and between bites replied, "I don't know what you are talking about. I didn't steal anything of your plate."

Ash pointed a finger at her and said, "You did to! I saw you!"

Finishing the last bite Misty leaned forward and said, "Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"DID TOO!"

"DID NOT!"

Even though Pikachu was pleased to see the two humans getting along in their "normal" fashion, it was far too early in the morning to hear their bickering. "Pikaaa…" Pikachu warned as he began to emit small sparks from his cheeks.

Ash and Misty were instantly broken from their argument and anxiously put both their hands in front of their bodies defensively. "It's okay Pikachu you don't have to shock us." Just because Ash got shocked by Pikachu often, didn't mean he ever got used to it.

"Yeah, see? We stopped fighting." Misty had also received the threat from the yellow mouse.

"Pika." Pikachu pronounced as if he was saying "Good".

Ash shot Misty a glare and she returned it by sticking her tongue out. He stood up and gathered the dishes from the table.

As Ash began to make his way over to the sink, Misty caught something out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't resist as a devilish grin spread across her face. "Hey, Ash?"

"Yeah?" Ash replied turning slightly to face her.

"If you're going to help your mom go shopping today, you might want to put some pants on."

Ash looked down and realized that he was indeed standing in his blue boxers. A blush spread across the bridge of his nose and he let out a cry as he dumped the dishes in the sink and dashed up the stairs with a snickering Pikachu on his shoulder.

* * *

**So there you go guys! Misty forgave Ash! **

**I hope you enjoyed their sweet reunion as much as I did!**

**Don't forget to hit that review button!**

**See you again in two weeks! BYE!**


	6. Chapter 6: A Prayer in Spring

**Authors Note:**

**So guys... I'm really sorry for the late chapter... School and work really killed me this past weekend and I am only now getting to my laptop to upload this chapter..**

**I am going to try my best to get back on schedule but that might take a couple weeks because of midterms.**

**Enough of my excuses. Here is the latest Chapter for A Second Chance! It's my longest chapter so far!**

**I cant wait to read all of your reviews ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its lovely characters.**

* * *

Chapter 6: A Prayer in Spring

"Ugh! This thing is so itchy!" Misty grumbled as she picked up a pen and began to scratch her leg that was hidden by the cast, not with much luck.

She was sitting on the couch in the living room with her healing leg propped up next to her. Letting out a small moan, she glanced out the window and noticed how beautiful it was. It was a picture-perfect spring day. It looked like the perfect day to go for a walk or even a swim. She wished she could do anything.

Unfortunately, that was not on the redhead's agenda since she was still bound by the restrictions of her cast. Every time she thought about all the things she couldn't do, Misty became very irritable. The only thing she hated more was her crutches.

"Oh, come on Misty. It's not that bad!" Ash took his attention away from the TV and directed it at Misty.

"This thing is unbearable," She groaned. "I can't wait to get this stupid thing off!" Misty had abandoned the pen and was now pulling at the cast in a failed attempt to get rid of it. Hearing Ash trying to stifle his laughter, Misty shot daggers at him. "What do you think is so _funny_!?"

"You're acting like a little itch is going to kill you!" Ash now let loose his laughter, leaning back in his chair. Since the hot-headed girl wasn't able to get up and attack him, Ash figured it was safe to get his fair share of jabs in while he still could.

"I know it's not going to kill me! I'm not _stupid_!" Misty's voice now escalated into a shout. Ash was taken aback by Misty's sudden outburst and stopped his laughter. He may have wanted to have some fun but he really did hate seeing his best friend so miserable. Misty took notice to Ash's mood change and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm sorry, Misty. I know this isn't fun for you but look at the bright side!" Misty glanced in the direction of Ash with a confused expression. '_What in the world could be good about being stuck in a cast?'_ "You get it off in only two more weeks!" He was now smiling and looking at Misty with excited, russet eyes.

"Then wake me up in two weeks." Misty flopped back on the couch, now lying down. She placed a pillow on top of her face and wished she could actually sleep through this torture.

"I'm sure they'll go by quicker than you think."

"That's easy for you to say!" Misty voiced was muffled by the pillow so she snatched it away and added, "Aside from the itchiness, I haven't been able to do anything! I'm so bored! I've read every book and magazine in this house and there is nothing but reruns on TV. Not to mention I haven't been able to take a proper shower since then."

"Oh so that's what that smell is." Ash flashed Misty an impish smirk, one she was not pleased with.

She rolled her head to the side and shouted, "You know what I mean, idiot! I can't stand up in the shower without getting water on my cast so I have to take a bath with my leg hanging out of the tub! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable that is!?" She was getting irritated with all of Ash's wise cracks and even more so when she couldn't get up and smack that look right off his face. Maybe there was something she hated even more then the crutches.

"Calm down, Misty! I was only joking!" Ash defended himself, mostly out of reflex. He knew she wouldn't be able get up to attack him so he brought his hands down-_BAM! _On the other hand… she still had full use of her arms. Ash was caught off guard as a pillow impacted his face and he nearly fell off of his chair.

After composing himself, Ash glanced at Misty who had on the most innocent face she could wear. _Now how am I supposed to be angry at a face like that? _ He put on a fake pout, crossed his arms and huffed, "That wasn't very nice!"

Misty let out a slight giggle as she sat up and faked her own frown. Folding her arms in a similar fashion she retorted, "Neither is what you said about me!"

"Well I'm _sorry_," The Master had a slight hint of playful sarcasm lingering in his apology.

"_Well_ I don't believe you! And I'm sure your mother would just _love_ to hear how your picking on a helpless injured girl, now would she?" The redhead now wore her own mischievous smirk.

"Heh. No need to bring mom into this Misty!" Ash knew very well that Misty would tell his mother. And she would believe her too! Ash also knew, from experience, that he would be spending the rest of the day doing heavy housework right after. His mother _always_ sided with Misty…

Misty could see the nervous look on Ash's face and she had him just where she wanted him. The fiery, redhead crossed her arms again and answered, "I don't see any other choice."

"How about I make it up to you?"

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Misty glanced over towards Ash with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." The Pokémon Master got up from his chair and hurried up the stairs to his room. He came back into the room with both arms behind his back and his signature toothy grin across his face.

"What's behind your back?" Misty leaned forward trying to get a better look but Ash backed up out of her line of sight.

"Not so fast little miss impatient!"

"Come on! I want to see what it is! Don't make me get another pillow!" Misty raised her hand holding onto another couch pillow, ready to fire.

Ash took another step back and reasoned, "Okay, okay I'll show you. But first, please disarm yourself."

Misty lowered the pillow and swung her legs off the couch so she could be sitting up properly when she received her gift.

"Alright, now close your eyes."

"Why do I have to close my eyes?"

"Come on Mist. Just do it."

"Fine," Misty closed her eyes and soon felt something placed in her lap. After Ash had given her the okay to open them again, she looked down to see what she was given. There was a spiral-bound artist's sketch pad with a black hard cover and a light blue case. When she opened the case she ran her slender fingers over the large assortment of high quality color pencils. Keeping her eyes down, she softly asked, "What's all this?"

Ash had been watching nervously while Misty examined the gift hoping that she would like it. He put a lot of thought into this and he was really anxious thinking about if it was a good idea or not. "Well, I know how bored you've been lately and how you don't really have anything to do so I got you that sketch pad and stuff so you would always have something to do! You can't really run out of things to do when you can just turn to another page and start a new drawing!" Ash looked away slightly and nervously added, "Plus I remember how much you used to doodle when we were traveling together, especially after we met Tracey."

Misty kept her eyes down, still examining the gift. It was true. Misty had become fascinated with sketching after seeing Tracey's works. She would look for anything to draw on like napkins or flyers or anything. She tried very hard to keep it as discrete as possible. Misty never thought she was any good at it and when she realized that Ash had actually caught her in the act, she became very embarrassed.

"You remember that from so long ago?" A faint blush spread on her cheeks. She couldn't believe that Ash had caught her, never mind remember it a decade later. He could barely remember what he did _yesterday_! '_Had Ash really paid that much attention to me when we were together?'_

Ash whipped his head back in the direction of Misty, a little hurt that she would question him like that, and replied firmly, "Of course I remember." Ash could see that he had embarrassed Misty by telling her he knew of her secret hobby. "I'm pretty sure I was the only one who ever noticed though." He was hoping that she still liked the gift.

"Good. I was terrible at it…"

"I thought they were good. And plus, you never had the proper stuff anyway! Now we could see just how great you really are!"

" I dunno…."

"Come on Mist! You'll never know if you don't try!"

Misty looked up at Ash and could see the enthusiasm in his eyes. He never lost that child-like fervor from when he was younger. It reminded her of their journeys together and she couldn't help but return the smile. Life was so much simpler back then. "I guess I could give it a try." She could tell that he had thought hard on this and was hoping she would like it. "Thanks Ash."

"So you like it?" Ash asked with a nervous grin.

"I love it. I can see you put special thought into the color of the case." Misty shot him a knowing look.

"Well yeah. I know your favorite color is blue." Ash looked away anxiously, chuckling nervously and scratching the back of his head. "I'm glad you like it. I was just about to go outside to do some training. It's a pretty nice day out too. Wanna come with and you can break in the sketch pad?"

"Sure that sounds nice."

Ash picked up the art materials and carried them outside. He sat them down on the porch table leaving Misty to herself. As he continued down the steps, he caught sight of Pikachu taking a nap in the shade.

"Hey Pikachu, come here!" The yellow mouse perked up at the sound of his trainer's voice and quickly scurried over to him and hopped onto his shoulder. "Hey buddy. Have a nice nap?" Ash scratched his longtime friend on the head and received a content, "Chaaaa".

"Good to here! Now that you're all rested, how about we train for a little bit?" Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and onto the ground in front of him. Pikachu gave him the thumbs up to show he was well rested and ready for a work out. "Great! Now let's see…." Ash tapped a finger to his chin, pondering who would be a good match up to the little electric mouse. "We haven't trained with Noctowl in a while. How does that sound?" After receiving the agreement from Pikachu, Ash retrieved Noctowls pokéball from his belt and tossed it in the air. The shiny, bird Pokémon erupted from its confines with a shimmer and flew down to meet its trainer. "Ready for some training Noctowl?"

The owl Pokémon chirped and flew up into the sky as an indicator that it was ready for a challenge.

"Great! Okay, Pikachu let's start off with a thunderbolt!"

Pikachu gathered electricity and unleashed its signature attack towards the sky. Noctowl quickly evaded the attack and circled back, ready for another dodge.

"Great dodge! Time to take it up a notch. Noctowl, use air slash!"

As Noctowl prepared for the attack, Pikachu tensed, ready for what was coming. The duel-type rose a little higher in the sky and began the attack. He raised his wings high above his head and with a quick motion, brought his wings down sending a spiraling, and cyan-colored energy ball toward his opponent.

The electric-type was quick to dodge the aura sphere and leapt up to retaliate with an electro ball, only to be dodged mid-air by Noctowl. Knowing that Noctowl would make a dodge, Pikachu shot out another electro ball from his tail, aimed towards the sky.

Seeing the oncoming attack, Noctowl quickly gathered energy for another air slash and sent it spiraling toward the oncoming attack. The two attacks met with equal force and were diminished in a burst of smoke.

Pikachu, unable to see through the cloud of smoke, tried to use his hearing to figure out where the flying type was. Unfortunately for Pikachu, Noctowl took advantage of his soundless wings and made a quick dive through the smoke.

Pikachu was caught off guard and was hit by Noctowls' peck attack. The yellow mouse was thrown back towards the tree he was previously sleeping under, but quickly gained his footing.

"You okay, buddy?"

"Pika."

After Ash received confirmation, he decided to issue another attack. "Great! Now use agility and then follow up with quick attack."

After running the combo through his brain, Pikachu thought of an even better accompaniment. Using his agility, Pikachu darted up the tree and through the branches taking full advantage of the green cover.

"Great idea, Pikachu! Now use quick attack to gain speed into the air and attack with iron tail!"

Pikachu burst through the leafy covering with extreme speed and aimed straight for Noctowl. Taking the owl Pokémon by surprise, Pikachu spun around quickly and pounded his glowing, silver tail on his opponent's chest.

Noctowl began to fall out of the air but straightened himself right before hitting the ground and landed gracefully. Pikachu landed on all fours not too far from Noctowl.

Ash walked over to his companions and knelt down between the two. "That was a great combo Pikachu! You did great too, Noctowl!" He stroked the top of Pikachu's head and received a grateful purr.

He then turned his attention to Noctowl and noticed that he seemed to be breathing heavily. "You okay Noctowl? You took that last attack pretty hard." Ash stroked Noctowls back but became worried when he noticed that Noctowl was clearly in pain. "You did a fantastic job today. You take a nice rest and I'll bring you over to Professor Oak's lab in a little bit to be checked out." Ash recalled his Pokémon and clipped the red and white sphere back to his belt.

Pikachu jumped up onto his trainers shoulder and Ash brought his hand back to the mouse's head. After standing up to full height, Ash cast his glance over to Misty, who seemed to be working hard on her current project.

Figuring Noctowl would still be fine if Ash took a small detour to see what the redhead's first project was, Ash made his way up the steps and managed to come up behind her without being noticed. He carefully leaned over Misty and peered at the image on the sheet of paper and was a little surprised at the scene.

The image sketched out was a scene from the previous battle session that had taken place between Pikachu and Noctowl. Even though a lot of the finer details were missing, the Pokémon Master knew exactly what was going on. Noctowl was in the air and looking down at Pikachu. Ash could clearly see that Pikachu was getting charged up for an attack. The part of the image that stood out the most was Noctowls attack. Noctowl was preparing for his air slash and Misty portrayed the swirling blue color of his attack perfectly. The color was absolutely beautiful. '_Just like her eyes.'_

"Wow..." Ash let the word slip from his lips and unintentionally frightened the redhead and causing her to jump. Thankfully it didn't cause her to mess up her picture.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Misty turned and chastised Ash.

"Sorry Misty. I didn't mean to." Ash apologized and then leaned over again to get a better look at the picture. Seeing Ash look so carefully at the picture made Misty very anxious. She never did think any of her work was good, but she believed that this one was coming together pretty well. She would have been crushed if Ash told her it wasn't any good.

"So… What do you think? I mean it's not done yet but-"

"I think it's great! You're a natural at this! I mean it looks just like it did when I was down there training them!" Ash had cut her off before she had the chance to finish.

"You mean it? You really like it?"

"Of course! This is really good Misty. Right Pikachu?" Pikachu gave a delighted squeak to show he too liked the depiction of the battle.

"Thanks. I really love the color of Noctowls attack but I didn't think it would turn out so well."

"Well it is!" Feeling a little playful, Ash decided to throw in, "It might even be better than you smell!" The trainer stuck his tongue out playfully towards his friend as he started to back away.

"Excuse me? Get back here Ketchum!" Misty narrowed her eyes as she realized exactly what the raven-haired man said.

"Sorry I can't! Gotta get Noctowl to the Professors! See ya later!" Ash turned and started to run down the steps and out the back gate, waving his hand in the air.

"Oh just you wait until I get this thing off! You are dead meat Ash Ketchum!"

* * *

Today was the day a certain young red-head thought would never come. Today she was free of the restraints of her cast and with that came the freedom of those damn crutches. The doctors had given Misty the wonderful news that she could get her cast off a week early and she could not have been happier. Even though they said she would still need to wear a brace, she was still ecstatic! At least she could take this one off!

"Thanks so much for taking me to my appointment Delia. You've done so much for me these past few weeks. I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you." Misty turned to the older woman driving the car and gave her a grateful smile.

"Oh don't you worry about that dear. It was really nothing. You know how much I love having you around."

"I know, but still. I wish there was something I could do."

"Well, if you really want to help, I'm a little short staffed down at the restaurant right now. One of my waitresses just quit and it would be lovely to have you around. And you would even have a little spending money of your own!" Delia knew how much Misty hated depending on other people for things. Being an independent woman herself, she could relate.

"That sounds like fun! I really need something to keep me busy when Ash goes back to work. I hate just sitting around the house. And having some money of my own would be great too. I need to get myself a new poke gear."

"Then it's settled! I'll have you start when Ash goes back in three weeks, that way your leg can have a little bit more time to heal. You'll be on your feet most of the day." After thinking for a moment she also added, "And you would be off for your birthday too! Its just a couple days before then!"

"Oh yeah." Misty looked down and let out a small chuckle. "With all that's been going on I almost forgot about my birthday."

"I'm so glad that I remembered! Now I'll be able to bake a cake and plan for a party an-"

"Oh no Delia please don't. I've already been such a burden. I don't want you going and planning a big party for me."

"You could never be a burden Misty." Delia looked away from the road momentarily and noticed her unhappy expression. Misty had gone from ecstatic to gloomy just by the mention of her birthday. "Is there another reason you don't want to celebrate your birthday?"

Knowing it was useless to lie to the older woman, Misty let out a small sigh and responded, "Its just I've never really had a birthday party before. My sisters never paid attention to me and I was lucky if I got a 'happy birthday' from them. Daisy would get me a cake but that's usually where it ended. After I went out on my journey and met up with Ash and Brock, they didn't even know when my birthday was until the second year we were together. It being just the three of us and out on the road we always kept things small. After I went back home, things went back to normal. Except for you, Ash, Brock and some of our other friends sending me cards and gifts. I guess I just wouldn't really be comfortable having a big party thrown for me. With everyone making a big fuss over me."

"You know we only fuss because we care."

"I know." Misty turned to look at Delia and noticed her brow was furrowed and she looked saddened by the story. Giving her a big smile Misty continued with, "But I'll be perfectly happy with something small!"

"If you insist." Delia knew it was no use trying to reason with the stubborn girl.

Misty gave another smile and nod as she turned to look out the window again and Delia went back to focus on the road.

The older woman knew that Misty's home life wasn't very good but she had no idea it was that bad. She had always tried to give Ash the best childhood possible and to hear that Misty had been denied such an important part broke the woman's heart. Misty deserved to have her friends around her to celebrate her special day.

After a few silent moments, Delia was torn from her thoughts when Misty began to speak again.

"Oh I can't wait to show Ash I got my cast off early! He is going to be so surprised!" The young woman's smile turned to one of mischief as she thought of how she was going to deal with a certain Pokémon Master.

Delia gave a small giggle and said, "He certainly is not going to be prepared for it. I'm sure he thought he had another week to plan on how to make up for how much he has been taking advantage of your immobility."

"I know! He is in for it once I get a hold of him!" Misty rubbed her hands together in an evil manner.

The car pulled into the front of the house and Misty thanked the older woman once again for the ride.

"Tell Ash that I'll be at the restaurant late tonight and that he's in charge of dinner." Delia absolutely loved that Ash had learned to cook. It meant she didn't have to constantly worry about her son starving to death while she stayed at work late.

"Sure thing!" Misty replied as she was getting out of the car.

"And Misty?" Before closing the door, the young red-head leaned down to see the Delia. "Don't hurt Ash_ too much_." Delia said with a playful wink.

"I'll try my best." Misty replied with a small giggle. She closed the door to the car and turned around to face the house. After the noise of the car pulling away was gone, Misty could hear Ash training in the back yard. With an evil look in her eye, she marched her way over to the back gate.

Luckily for her, it was left open. This meant she could sneak in without being heard.

As she approached the gate she decided to take a peek at what the Master was doing. He was doing some hand-to-hand combat with his Infernape. The sparing match was quite intense and it had been going on for quite some time. Ash had thrown his shirt aside and Pikachu was watching over the two from the railing of the porch.

Misty could see just how much this type of training paid off on Ash's part. Without a shirt, Misty had a clear view of the toned muscles on Ash's arms and chest. She had to note that he pulled them off well with his rather tall, lean body frame. He moved very gracefully while dodging incoming strikes and retaliating with swift jabs of his own. _He looks so strong. I always thought he was good looking, but right now he looks gorgeous._

Misty had to shake away thoughts of his mesmerizing appearance as her face reddened. Instead, she brought her focus back to her plan.

She looked back over to the Pokémon Master just as he dodged a particularly fast shot towards his upper body. Careful not to draw attention, Misty snuck over to the bench swing that was on the opposite side of the yard from the porch. On her way there, she locked eyes with Pikachu who was about to call out to her. Before he had the chance she put a finger to her mouth and pointed toward his trainer. Understanding exactly what she meant, the electric type gave her a silent wink. Pikachu always found it hilarious when the redhead had her fun with his trainer, most of the time he deserved it too.

Misty continued to watch the match undetected by her target. When she witnessed a particularly nice combo she decided now was the perfect opportunity. Misty began to clap, hoping this was enough to grab his attention.

Ash, previously focused on his sparring match, was distracted by the new sound that filled the yard. Unfortunately, the same moment he turned his eyes to see Misty sitting on the bench swing, was when Infernape decided to aim for his legs and it resulted with Ash falling flat on his back.

Misty stopped her clapping and stood. "And just when I thought you were doing so well." She smirked and crossed her arms as she took a couple more steps toward the center of the yard. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he realized the trouble he was about to get into.

"Well maybe if you hadn't distracted me. Ugh, that hurt…" Infernape had come over to make sure that he hadn't hurt his trainer. "It's okay Infernape. I'm fine." Ash began to get up and dusted his himself off. Once he recovered his composure he shot a glance toward the redhead and froze, a panicky chill crawling up his spine.

She wasn't in her cast anymore. She was standing up on her own two feet. Not only that, but the look in her eye. Ash saw that look before. This meant one thing for Ash.

Pain.

Ash began to retreat slowly backwards as Misty walked forward. "What's wrong Ash? You look a little _scared_." She put special emphasis on the last word and could see his appearance waver again. Misty narrowed her eyes at him, grin never wavering. Boy was she having fun.

"What? N-no.." It was the truth, he wasn't scarred. No, he down right was terrified.

"Are you sure? Because if I were you, I certainly would be." The girl began to get closer to the man, and with each step she felt more dominant. This was the most fun she had had in weeks and she was going to enjoy every second of it. She just wanted to have her fair share of fun like Ash had. She wasn't really going to hurt him.

Well not too much a least. She had promised his mother after all.

Not wanting to find out what she meant, Ash made a dash for the first spot of sanctuary he could think of. He ran straight to the tree in the backyard and climbed right up it with ease. Misty tried chasing after Ash but just wasn't quick enough and had to stop at the base of the tree.

"Are you just going to hide up there like a cowardly Mankey or are you going to come down here and take you're beating like a man!" Misty shook her fist in the air.

Taking a small sigh of relief, Ash looked down Misty. He called down, "I am not a coward!" In reality he was thanking Mew for his amazing climbing abilities and, more importantly, Misty's lack.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you come down here and tell me that."

Ash crossed his arms and retorted, "I happen to think that the view is quite nice up here, thank you very much."

"Whatever." Misty turned to walk away and continued, "Instead of waiting around for a coward, I'm going to go enjoy my new freedom. A nice hot shower is the first thing on my list."

"Good choice," Ash mumbled from his spot in the tree, but it was just a little too loud.

Knowing exactly what he was implying, the redhead turned around a yelled back to the tree, "You're going to have to come down here sometime Ketchum, and when you do, you're going to wish you kept your mouth shut!" She turned and stomped her way back into the house.

Once he thought the coast was clear, Ash climbed down the tree with ease. His two loyal Pokémon were there to meet him, Pikachu taking his signature spot on his shoulder. He praised his flame Pokémon and returned him to the sanctuary of his pokéball.

"Well that was a close one, right Pikachu?" Ash wiped his brow and gave a relieved chuckle.

"Pi pika Pikachu pikachupi, pikapi."

"I know I shouldn't have picked on her so much but I just couldn't help it! She is always raging on me and I always get hit when I try doing it back!"

"Pi pika pichu pika."

"I guess I did go a little overboard." Ash looked away as he thought about how much he tortured who he considered his best friend. He felt a really bad about it now. "But I was planning on making it up to her! Although, I did think I had another week left to prepare for it. Well I better start getting it ready now then. Wanna help buddy?"

Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and gave a thumbs up. "Great! Everything we need should be in the shed. Let's get to work!"

"Now that's exactly what I needed," Misty said to no one as she walked back into her room after enjoying a particularly hot shower. Her flesh was still reddened from the heat as she lay down on her bed only wearing her robe. The cool breeze coming in from her open window felt refreshing as it grazed her warm skin.

Sighing happily, the former gym leader turned onto her side and snuggled into one of her pillows. After a few moments of quiet relaxation, Misty was just about to fall asleep when a small noise caught her attention. She let her eyes flutter open when she was met face-to-face with a _very_ unwelcomed visitor.

Shrieking, Misty got up and ran out of her room, but during her attempt to flee she slipped and fell on a hallway rug. She managed to back herself into the corner near the top of the stairs where she stayed, too frightened to move, eyes glued to the doorway of her bedroom.

Outside, Ash and Pikachu were busy getting all of their equipment ready for their outing when a piercing shriek caught their attention. The shriek was then followed by a loud thud.

Knowing who the screech belonged to, Ash dropped everything he was working on and made a dash for the door and through the dining room. He stopped to look around and caught sight of the redhead cowering at the top of the stairs.

His heart sunk. He rushed up the steps and knelt down beside the shivering girl. She looked like she had just seen a ghost. "Misty, what happened?" No response. Worried, he gathered her in his arms and pulled her close. "Come on. Please tell me what happened." He ran a hand up and down her back, trying to calm her down.

Misty still wouldn't tear her gaze away from her room. The only thing she could manage was a timid point in its direction.

Figuring that whatever had frightened the girl was in her room; Ash reluctantly released his hold and walked towards the room. Cautiously, he approached the doorway, ready for whatever might await him. Pikachu right by his side, ready to protect the people he cared for the most. Ash leaned over, just popping his head in and scanned the room for danger.

Not finding anything, Ash decided it was safe to take a step into the room. The raven-haired man looked around the room until something finally caught his eye. What he found was definitely not what he was expecting and he deadpanned. "You have got to be kidding me." What was sitting on Misty's bed was a frightened, little Caterpie.

"Is it gone?" Ash twisted to face the door only to find a fearful Misty peaking in.

"It's just a Caterpie Misty!" The Pokémon Master walked over to the bed to attempt to calm the bug-type. "It's okay little guy. I'm not going to hurt you." Pikachu hopped onto the bed and began to speak to the visitor. The two of them calmed the Caterpie and it climbed up onto Ash's shoulder. "See! No one is going to hurt you."

"Don't make friends with it! Get it out of my bedroom! NOW!" Misty's scream caused the green caterpillar to whine and nudge itself into Ash's neck.

"If it'll make you stop screaming, I'll go put it outside." Ash lifted his hand up in order to calm the frightened Pokémon again. "Don't worry. I'm not going to let that mean lady hurt you."

Misty scoffed at his comment but as Ash made his way toward the door and she retreated in order to leave plenty of space between her and the bug. Ash shook his head and then proceeded down the stairs and out the front door. Kneeling down, Ash lifted the Caterpie off his shoulder and placed it on the ground in front of him.

"Sorry about that Caterpie. I know she can be really scary." Ash rubbed the top of its head and he squeaked in joy. "Now go on and find your friends. You might want to warn them about staying away from this house too. We wouldn't want a repeat of this, now would we?"

After Ash made sure the Caterpie was safely out of sight, he returned to his house and shut the door behind him.

"Did you get rid of it?" Misty called out from her new spot by the bottom of the stairs.

Ash turned to the girl and he gave her an irritated look. "What the hell Misty! You scared me half to death with that scream!"

"You know how much I hate bugs!"

"I don't care! I was really worried about you! I thought someone was trying to kidnap you or something! You really scared me!" Ash snapped at Misty.

Misty looked at how infuriated Ash looked and felt bad for scaring him like that. It was rare for Ash to look this upset. '_Does he really care that much?' _She looked away and responded, "I didn't know you cared that much..."

Ash's expression softened when he saw how bad the redhead felt for her reaction. In fact, he was shocked at how he reacted to the situation. He never got this angry before when her phobia was involved. Of course at the time he really did think someone was trying to harm her. '_It's probably just what happened before that put me so on edge. I just don't want someone hurting her like that again.' _He took a step forward and laid his hand on her shoulder. "Of course I care about you Misty. You're one of the most important people in my life."

She felt her face get hot with his touch and accompanied by his words. '_Am I really that important to him? Sure he is to me, but I only have a couple people in my life right now. Ash has so many.'_

"I'm sorry Ash," Misty looked up at the raven-haired man and continued, "I didn't mean to worry you. It was just my first reaction. I opened my eyes and it was right in my face."

"It's okay Mist. I know how much bugs freak you out. Just try not to over react next time, okay?"

She gave him a weak smile and replied, "I'll try."

Ash noticed that the girl still looked a little shaken up from the event, and so did he for that matter, so he thought of an idea to calm them both down. "Hey, I think I have something that'll cheer us up. I'm almost done getting it ready so go get dressed and meet me by my car."

"Where are we going?" Misty asked, curious to know what he had planned.

"You'll find out when we get there, now go on." Not waiting for a response, Ash turned and went back to the backyard to continue his work. Shrugging, Misty retreated to her room to get dressed.

After tying her hair into a ponytail and picking out an outfit that consisted of long blue jeans, a light blue tank top, and flip flops, Misty went outside to meet Ash just closing the truck of his car. He had thrown on one of his signature black t-shirts and was still in the shorts he was training in early.

"Just in time! Hop on in," Ash motioned for Misty to get into the car. Once they were in, Pikachu jumped in Misty's lap from Ash's shoulder.

Ash pulled out and onto the road, knowing exactly where their destination was. He glanced over to Misty who was looking out the window and absentmindedly stroking Pikachu's fur. She looked so much happier then she had over the past few weeks. He figured it had to be only one thing.

"So you must be happy to have that cast off."

"Happy doesn't even begin to describe it!" She looked over at Ash with an overjoyed expression.

"Well I'm just glad I won't have to worry about you falling down the stairs and not being able to get back up after I go back to work." Ash teased the girl with a cheeky grin.

"Ha-ha, very funny. I'll have you know I got around perfectly fine without you."

"Sure you did. And without that thing on you can actually go out and do all the things you enjoy! Although I hope you won't get too bored again without me being there and all."

"Don't flatter yourself." Misty playfully smacked his arm.

"So what _do_ you plan on doing now that you have your freedom back?" They turned onto another road that led out of Pallet Town.

"Your mom offered me a job at her restaurant after you go back to the league so I'll have that to keep me busy." Noticing that they were leaving Pallet, Misty was about to question their destination again but was cut off by Ash's stuttered response.

"You? Work in a restaurant? Where food is prepared in order for innocent people to eat?" His eyes widened in astonishment.

"Yeah? What so wrong with that?" Misty narrowed her eyes at him, clearly knowing exactly where this was going.

"Oh nothing," Ash began as the memory of Misty attempting to prepare them dinner surfaced in his mind. Shuddering at the memory he finished with, "Not if you want to die a slow and painful death…"

"Hey, my cooking has improved a lot since we were kids! Plus I'm not even going to cook the food. I'm just waitressing."

"Mmhhmm." Ash hummed as he pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"Where are we?" Misty looked around to see where they were. She thought it looked familiar but could only tell that they were at the edge of the forest.

"You'll see." Ash got out of the car and popped the trunk. He pulled out a medium-sized plastic box by the handle and one of his old backpacks. He started off towards a trail that lead into the forest.

Pikachu still in her arms, Misty followed closely behind, trying to think of why this place seemed so familiar. Soon she could hear water flowing and something dawned on her.

Catching up to the Master she questioned, "Are we where I think we are?"

"I don't know. Where do you think we are Misty?" Ash glanced down with a toothy smile.

"Cut the attitude Ash. This is the river where we first met, isn't it!"

Ash stepped out into a small clearing that was at the edge of a river. He placed his gear down and answered, "The one and only."

"Wow, I haven't been here in years." Misty began to reminisce on that fateful day. At the time it may have been a headache, but that event lead to a journey she will never forget.

"So you've been back here other than when we met?"

"I've past by once or twice…" Misty answered uneasily. "You haven't?"

"Sure I have." Ash had been back here a lot recently. Especially after he thought he lost Misty for good. Not wanting to let her know this, he smile and finished with, "It is one of the luckiest fishing spot around, right Misty?"

"I don't know about lucky," she teased. "I've caught a couple things I should've thrown right back."

"Oh now I know you don't mean that." He nudged her shoulder and she let out a small snicker. "Come on. Help me set up the fishing poles."

The duo plus Pikachu went back over to the box in order to set up the collapsible fishing gear. After setting up her rod, Misty looked back into the box and grabbed the two of them lures she thought would work well in a river. Before Misty could hand him the small object, Ash reached into his backpack and pulled out a small wooden box. He opened it up and pulled out the only lure he really ever used.

Misty's eyes widened when she recognized the trinket. "You still have my old lure?"

"Well sure. You gave it to me, didn't you?" Ash shrugged. The little object was very special to him because it was a gift from Misty.

"Yes. I just didn't think you would keep it all these years."

Ash held the miniature Misty in the palm of his hand and replied, "Of course I would. It's from you." Ash said so sincerely. "And it's been pretty helpful in catching water Pokémon." Even when it wasn't he still liked using it because it reminded him of her.

Misty smiled and began to string her bait onto her line. Being the more experienced fisher, Misty finished setting up her gear much faster than Ash, who was still struggling with his fishing wire. Misty went over to the edge of the river and took in her surroundings.

This is where it all began. The best part of her journey began right at this very spot. All those great memories and friendships that she held dear would have never happened if she hadn't decided to cast her line into this water.

Beaming, Misty pulled her arm back to cast her line. The lure flew back just far enough to catch the back of Ash's shirt. When Misty thrust the line forward, he was pulled along with it. Stumbling backward and fighting to keep his footing he came up quickly next to the redhead.

"Heh. It looks like you caught me again." Ash rubbed the back of his head.

"Darn. Well Arceus knows no one needs two of you. Better throw you back." With a wink, Misty thrust her arms forward.

"No Misty wa-" Ash tried to reason but it was no luck as he made contact with water. Coming up out of the water he tilted his head back to see a very satisfied looking Misty.

She leaned forward and poked a finger to his nose, "_That_ was for all the snarky comments."

Instead of getting angry, Ash smiled back as he quickly reached out for Misty. "Actually, it's pretty nice in here. You should come in and give it a try!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Misty tried getting away but wasn't fast enough as Ash caught her wrist and dragged her into the water as well.

After she resurfaced and whipped the water from her eyes she looked around and spotted Ash floating contently on his back, wide grin on his face.

Misty couldn't help but smile at his playful nature. She lightly splashed him and warned, "You are_ so_ lucky that I like the water."

* * *

**Yay! No more crutches for Misty! **

**I just love the playful nature of the two of them. I think its sooo cute!**

**I hope you guys aren't t mad at me for the late update.. Really sorry again!**

**Please leave a review! I just love reading them!**

**And if any of you have suggestions or ideas, I'm all ears! I really value peoples opinions!**

**See you all again at my next update!**


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